Digital Security (Children)

Computers and the use of technology is part of a persons everyday life activities whether it being used to gain access to a social media site,looking at the news online,getting an email or googling something it is part of peoples life now as technology is so highly integrated in the modern lifestyle. Children are often also able to easily access information and often have as many if not more daily use of these technologies as well as being the generation to grow up where technology is a part of their life unlike their parents who where already into their adult life before technology was readily available to anybody and everybody.

Due to the nature of technology and the Internet it has both it pros and cons but in the best with internet of a child in mind they need to be taught about the dangers of the Internet and social media sites as well as the positives that come with the responsible use of the Internet. These lines are often crossed as the internet is such an open and "anonymous" place meaning that alot of negative things are able to take place at easy without anybody knowing besides the people engaged in these acts.

Firstly i would like to start of with what the pros of the intrenet are as for all of the negatives that they are in my opinion the pros of the Internet far out way the cons. The first pro of the Internet is seen as a powerful learning tool is used in the correct way. There are vast amount of information at a persons fingertips when using the Internet, one no longer has to be sitting in a classroom to learn something from the thousands of educational websites, to the thousands of educational videos that can be found on YouTube are always for a person to take part in informal learning which is learning that does not take place within the classroom. This encourages the skill of life long learning which now with access to the Internet the person is able to always read up and investigate new topics and expand their knowledge where ever they are.

In my opinion this is why the Internet is such a Strong tool as with access to the Internet a person is able to educate themselves on almost any topic,this is why children should be taught at n early age the responsible and effective way to use the Internet correctly as it is only going to be a skill that will help them throughout their lives. This is why some countries have made access to the internet part of a person basic human rights. As a persons education is no longer limited to there current social or financial situation with access to the Internet and willingness to learn they have a vast ocean of information at their fingertips.

There always need to be a reverse side to the coin and just like a coin the Internet has another side which needs to be understood and taught to kids on the dangers of this "dark" side of the Internet in order to keep them safe and out of harms way.The cons that can come about without the knowledge and skills on how to practices safe Internet usage are: exposure to illicit information such as pornography which children are often to young to understand so should not be seen,unsafe use of online chat rooms (kids should not be using chatrooms as it is not safe), "Catfishing" a term that is given to the action of someone to pretend to be someone or who they are not often to trick minors into sexual acts online.

Below are two adverts by a company called Innocence in Danger and they make adverts in order to get people aware of the hidden dangers that are involved with using the Internet,that kids often fall prey to due to the lack of knowledge on safe use of the Internet. The first image shows a cellphone in a girls back pocket but the shape being made by the phone in the pocket is a hand making it look like a hand on the girls back side, this refers to sexual predators that are online and often target children to try and perform sexual acts with them, the fact that it is done on a phone or online makes it hard for parents to see that something like that is going on,that is why kids need to be taught how to use the internet safely and not talk to strangers (just like they are taught to do in real life the same needs to be done when it comes to the digital "world")

  The second advert is by the same company with someone giving a thumbs up over his face and the captions saying "Do your children know who really likes their posts" this again refers to sexual predators as on a facebook profile or any profile made online the person is able to lie about all of their information there is nothing stopping them from lying, this is has also be termed as "cat fishing" that is why kids need to be careful online.

Some tips that one can teach their children about safe are responsible use of the internet are as follow;

• Not everything that is seen and read online is true,one needs to critically evaluate the information and do more research before confirming that information is right or not as there is alot of information online that is written by other people whose facts many not necessarily be correct.
• What ever is posted or uploaded will be up there permanently even if the post is deleted that information is stored that is why it is important to not post things that one will regret or cause harm to yourself or others. This is what is know as having a positive digital footprint. By not having anything online that will negatively affect you as a person.
• DO NOT give away and sensitivity or private information to someone online. Information that should NEVER be given out to a stranger online are; address,bank account numbers, phone numbers or full name. Anything that allows that person to build up to much knowledge on you as a person.
• keep passwords secure and change them every so often to reduce the risk of someone getting onto your account.
• Parents should monitor and keep an eye on the child's internet use and what site he/she is visiting

These are just basic tips that if followed will not only help children but adults also on safe use of the internet.

References

Adsoftheworld.com, (2015). Innocence en danger: I like, 2 | Ads of the World™. [online] Available at: https://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/innocence_en_danger_i_like_2 [Accessed 21 May 2015].

Adsoftheworld.com, (2015). Innocence in Danger: Girl | Ads of the World™. [online] Available at: https://adsoftheworld.com/media/print/innocence_in_danger_girl [Accessed 21 May 2015].

Dredge, S. (2014). How do I keep my children safe online? What the security experts tell their kids. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/11/how-to-keep-kids-safe-online-children-advice [Accessed 21 May 2015].

Griner, D. (2015). Internet Predators Become Terrifying Emoji in Child Safety Campaign. [online] AdWeek. Available at: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/internet-predators-become-terrifying-emoji-child-safety-campaign-155015 [Accessed 21 May 2015].

Hertz, M. (2015). How to Teach Internet Safety to Younger Elementary Students. [online] Edutopia. Available at: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/internet-safety-younger-elementary-mary-beth-hertz [Accessed 21 May 2015].

Woda, T. (2015). 10 Things to Teach Your Kids About Internet Safety. [online] Resources.uknowkids.com. Available at: http://resources.uknowkids.com/blog/bid/159129/10-Things-to-Teach-Your-Kids-About-Internet-Safety [Accessed 21 May 2015].