Browsing Archive: September, 2010
Posted by WebSafety NZ on Wednesday, September 29, 2010,
New Zealand schools are not immune to cyber bullying, and just like the rest of the world, this problem exists nationwide. It is destructive because it is 24/7. It is relentless and causes stress, anxiety, loss of appetite, and depression.
NetSafe produced a fantastic dramatization of primary school aged children. this video can be seen here. Continue reading ...
As a parent, we want the best for our children. We want our kids to grow up in a healthy environment. We protect our children from harm, shield them from dangers, and make sure they are looked after when we are not around. So why do we not apply the same principles when it comes to the internet? Statistics show that only a third of parents have any form of Parental Control software on their home computers. Is it because parents are unaware of such software? Or is it because parents think they... Continue reading ...
Parents often feel they are loosing touch with technology and their kids will always know more than they do when it comes to the internet.
Parents can feel more comfortable if they take a step back and look at the internet technology from a single view. It does not matter what the new service is, the behavior should always be the same. We need to teach our children to be SAFE CYBER CITIZENS. It was only in the last 10 years that Chat Rooms were popular, and the norm. We then progressed to... Continue reading ...
Given that the popularity of Bebo is on the downward trend, and that in a few years it may be gone forever, Facebook is ever more popular.
Unfortunately, this popularity is resulting in younger members. A user should be 13 years of age at least, to create a Facebook account. Yet children are getting around this by manipulating their birthdate, to make out they are older than what they actually are. We are seeing children as young as 10 now on Facebook!
This is of concern, and it is importan... Continue reading ...
Posted by WebSafety NZ on Tuesday, September 14, 2010,
In :
facebook
As our education systems move more into the computer environment, the boundaries between the Teacher and student can become muddled.
While some schools may setup a Facebook page for school related issues, the boundaries of friendship between a Teacher and student should never be crossed.
Teachers are at risk on Facebook of having students sending them ‘friend’ requests. On some occasions the request may come from a Teacher. Likewise, Teachers are vulnerable to ‘Facebook slagging...
Connecting to the Internet via a cellphone is not a new thing, but it is a growing trend. One of the reasons for this is that technology has come a long way.
Most cell phones are coming out with some kind of operating system on. The popular standard is either a Symbian operating system or the Windows Operating system.
As data becomes cheaper to transmit, kids are going to be all over the internet on their mobile phones. Parents are only starting to grasp the concept that they need some f... Continue reading ...
Now that cyber safety is being talked about more, and we are seeing more news reports about the dangers, Parents are wondering when they should install such software.
From my experience, parents are only thinking about monitoring software when their children are around 12 years of age. The reality is that children are discovering the Internet at an earlier age.
The Internet is uncensored and as such, our children can stumble on the most disturbing material imaginable, unless we protect wha... Continue reading ...
Posted by WebSafety NZ on Sunday, September 12, 2010,
Have you ever wondered what may be the most dangerous site on the Internet? Well, I know, and as parents, you need to know too!
The Chat Roulette website was created by Andrey Ternovskiy, a 17 year old high school student in Moscow. The site was launched in November 2009, with 500 visitors a day. One month later, there were 50,000 visitors a day!
The site is growing at an alarming rate and it let’s you speak with and see anyone in the world who has a camera on their computer. The site... Continue reading ...
Social networking sites such as Bebo and FaceBook are regularly in the news, and usually for all the wrong reasons.
However, what we don't here about often are the social networking sites that are safe for our kids to use.
There are two New Zealand sites which come highly recommended. HectorsWorld is run by NetSafe and is an interactive cartoon site with excellent teaching resources for kids, parents and adults. It teaches kids how to use the internet safely while having fun. It teaches k... Continue reading ...
Posted by WebSafety NZ on Thursday, September 9, 2010,
In :
cyber bullying
Bullying has been around for many years, and it will be around for many years to come. However, with the advent of technology has come new ways to bully.
Cyber bullying is the intentional bullying of another person through electronic means. On a computer it may be through social networking sites, instant messaging, forums, blogs, chat rooms and email. Off the computer it is done through mobile phones.
Cyber bullying is the number one concern facing children today. Recent studies conduct... Continue reading ...
We know technology is always on the move, and new ways to do things surface all the time. As parents, we often struggle to keep up with the pace.
Anonymous surfing has been around for some time. The latest web browsers have 'private surfing' features built into them, and will hide all references to sites visited.
There are external 'proxy' sites, whereby any internet address typed in, cannot be tracked. Anyone I find using such sites are covering something up, in my opinion.
There are 'T... Continue reading ...
Posted by WebSafety NZ on Friday, September 3, 2010,
In :
facebook
Research has shown that around 80% of children don't use privacy settings on social networking sites. There are several issues with this, and they all relate to how much information someone else can see about you.
Employers are now searching social networking sites on prospective employees, to gain additional information on their personality. Photos of you engaging in out-of-hours activities can sometimes have a negative effect on a job prospect.
Due to the many complaints FaceBook must ha... Continue reading ...
Posted by WebSafety NZ on Friday, September 3, 2010,
In :
cyber bullying
Cyber bullying is bullying. Its still in its infancy, but growing fast. Its bullying via an electronic medium, either by cell phone or computer. It may be nasty, mean or offensive messages sent by text, instant messaging, email, or on any other electronic medium.
What may start out as a harmless prank, can soon spiral into a taunting and destructive scenario. Cyber bullying is relentless, sees no boundaries, and causes great damage mentally and phsycologically.
Text messages spread very... Continue reading ...
In days gone by, a parent would give their wee Johnny or Jackie instructions of how to keep safe while playing. These would consist of playing nicely, not to play on the road, be nice to other kids and don’t be late.
These days it’s a totally different ball game. Our kids have swapped the fun of running around the neighborhood, to running around cyberspace. With it, come more dangers than you could imagine, by playing in the neighbors backyard.
The internet is a fantastic reference t... Continue reading ...
Posted by WebSafety NZ on Friday, September 3, 2010,
In :
facebook
Even though there are many social networking sites in existance, the one that seems to attract the most attention is FaceBook. It attracts the the most attention because it has such a huge user base.
In Australia, a recent survey has revealed that 29% of ALL time spent on the internet is on FaceBook. This figure is so large, that commentators are now referring to internet time as 'Facebook time' and 'Non Facebook time'.
Australians also now spend more time on the internet than any other cou... Continue reading ...
Children spend hours on the internet, and parents often don't know what they are doing. There is a growing gap between what parents THINK their kids are doing on the internet, and what they are ACTUALLY doing. Social networking sites are huge for our children these days. Its all about communication and keeping in touch. It is often the case where kids try to out-do each other in the number of connections or 'friends' they have, attached to their profile. My 15 year old daughter has 342 connec... Continue reading ...
Posted by Dean Stewart on Friday, September 3, 2010,
Online gambling has been around for many years in the form of sites hosting online poker and the like. Such sites have flashy pop-up ads that attract young people. These sites will often offer free credits when joining. This allows the user to experience the thrill of winning, without having them pay any money. People quickly get hooked, and very soon are buying credits with a credit card. These sites are authenticating a user based on their ability to provide credit card information. Since... Continue reading ...
| |
