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This guide helps parents determine what sites and services should be allowed on a child’s computer. It covers IMs, chat rooms, social networking, online gaming, Twitter and cyberbullying. At the end of the guide, there are some tips to block sites and monitor your child’s safety for free, but some paid protection services are also listed.
Table of Content
Due to the length of this guide we have created a table of content so that you can go through the material in your own time, not having to read it all at once.
1. What Parents Should Know Before Allowing Children to Log In to the Internet
2. Social Networking: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Others
3. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Cell Phones for Children
4. Emails, Instant Messaging (IMs) and Online Chat Rooms
5. Online Games and Internet Predators
6. Cyberbullying – A New Form of Online Harassment
7. Setting Parental Controls on Your Windows Computer
8. Parental Controls for Mac Users
9. Antivirus Applications and How They Protect Children from Sexually Explicit Material
What Parents Should Know Before Allowing Children to Log In to the Internet
The FBI set up the Innocent Images National Initiative, because children are lured by predators every day. The Internet provides predators with a safe, anonymous environment for luring children using IMs, social networking, blogs and private messaging. Each avenue is a way for predators to find children and exploit their naivety.
Most predator relationships with children start with the child or teen posting innocent pictures or information online. The predator creates a bogus identity, and he sends a message to the child. For this reason, parents should monitor the social networking sites a child frequents and control the types of websites the child can send and receive. If parents feel the child is participating in suspicious activities, the parent can install monitoring software to read the chat conversations.
According to the State of Wisconsin’s Division of Enterprise Technology, some preconceived myths exist about online predators:
- Myth: Predators lie about their age.
- Reality: Predators are usually honest about their age. Predators entice the child with gifts and promises that make the child feel safe and special.
- Myth: Predators trick the child into revealing information.
- Reality: Children are vulnerable and naïve and they openly divulge private information without much prodding or tricking from the predator. Some of the information obtained by the predator is freely available on the child’s social networking site profile.
- Myth: The child predator forces contact and eventually stalks and abducts the child.
- Reality: In fact, most meetings and sexual encounters are voluntary. Very few cases are violent. Children who are depressed or have other social issues, however, are more prone to be victims of online crimes and sexual predators.
The Web 2.0 goal of integrating social networking with most online applications makes it fun to share pictures and information, but it is also the main predatory medium for malicious intent. For this reason, social networking is the biggest place for predators, but cell phones, web cams, email and chat rooms are still a point of concern.
The Crimes Against Children Research Center provides some statistics for Internet crimes involving children:
- 1 in 7 children are threatened by online predators
- 1 in 25 incidences involve the predator taking aggressive and coercive attempts for the child to meet the predator offline
- 1 in 25 children were asked to take sexually explicit images of themselves and send the images to the predator
- 1 in 25 children were mentally affected and distressed after they came into contact with the predator
The first step to help your child avoid predators is to talk to the child. Parents of older teens must provide more freedom and trust for older children, but talk to teens about the dangers of the Internet and urge the teen to keep private information off of public social networking sites. Social networking sites provide privacy, so predators cannot see open information posted by the child. Explaining the dangers to children is the first step in avoiding a dangerous situation, but you must take precautions using other protection methods to secure the safety of your child if you suspect your child is communicating with an online predator.
Social Networking: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Others
Social networking sites are a part of most people’s lives. Some parents even give their small children a Facebook profile. Facebook has a minimum age requirement of 13, but according to a 2011 survey from Consumer Reports, 7.5 million Facebook users are under the age of 13. Of these 7.5 million users, 5 million of them are under the age of 10. Some of these children have a Facebook account with their parents’ consent. However, the survey revealed that most of the children had accounts that are unsupervised by parents, which leaves the child susceptible to predators, bullying and other cyber-crimes.
Twitter is the most popular social networking mini-blogging platform. Twitter posts are entirely public whenever a new Twitter post is made, and each Tweet is available in a Google search. Twitter also requires users to be at least 13 years old, but there is no way for the social networking site to guarantee each user is honest when signing up for a Twitter account. Twitter is perhaps the most dangerous of the social networking sites, because of its poor privacy and ability to post images to thousands of followers at a time. Predators can find underage users and send direct messages to the child without the parent seeing the message.
Other social networking sites such as MySpace, Google+ and Ning have privacy settings that the parent must set up to ensure the child’s safety. Before allowing the child to sign up for any social networking site, check out the privacy policy and read the FAQs for information on privacy for children.
What Parents Can Do to Protect Children on Social Networking Sites
- Parents have several options, but the amount of leeway and trust is dependent on the child. Very young children should be monitored closely, but trust is a building factor in a young adult, so parents have the option to allow some privacy between them and the teen in some social situations.
- Require the child to add you to her Facebook friends list. This allows you to view all posts on the child’s Facebook Wall, and you can monitor any outgoing messages from the child on her Wall.
- Review a list of your child’s Facebook friends. Facebook sends a message to the user’s Wall when a new friend is added. Review each friend on the child’s list and remove any suspicious profiles.
- Require the Facebook password from the child, so you can occasionally review any private messages. Use the password to remove any private, identifying information in the Facebook, MySpace or Twitter “About” section of the account. For instance, do not allow the child to list her high school, address or phone number in the private information section.
- Monitor the images uploaded by the child. Child predators coax children into uploading revealing images. Set boundaries for the types of images allowed on social networking sites, and ask the child’s friends to remove any revealing images on their Facebook or Twitter pages.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Cell Phones for Children
Cell phones are great for children, so they can contact parents in case of any emergencies. Unfortunately, cell phones are also a point of concern for parents. Aside from the issue of overuse of minutes, parents must also monitor who is contacting the child, and any images taken and sent to the child. Child predators attempt to gain contact with the child to meet at a specific location. Usually, an online conversation starts and the predator asks for further information such as a cell phone number. The predator coaxes the child to hide the conversations from parents and authorities, so cell phone conversations protect the predator from sending any evidence of sexually explicit messages.
Further problems include smartphones that allow “sexting” and videos and images the child can use. These images can be uploaded to the Internet or sent to anyone in the cell phone contact list. Sexting is the act of sending sexually explicit text messages, images or videos. FBI statistics on sexting include:
- 1 in 5 teenagers have sent sexually explicit images on their cell phones
- 1 in 6 teenagers between 12 and 17 have received sexually explicit images on their cell phones
Some states have added laws that prohibit children from sending sexually explicit images. The FBI reports that children as young as 15 have been put on one year probation after distributing sexually explicit images. In 2009, a 15 year old high school boy was sentenced to one year probation after sending an image of his genitalia to a 13 year old girl. The teen was caught after the 13 year old girl was “mouthing off” to her mother and received a text message from the boy. The mother went to police and reported the incident to the boy’s mother.
Parents have the option to monitor cell phone use with an application called Mobile Watchdog. The software sends parents a message when a child receives a text, image or phone call from a number that is not on the authorized list of contacts. Parents can also block websites and cell phone apps, and block text messaging and phone calls after a certain time of day.
Other Steps to Monitor Cell Phone Use and Protect Children from Predator Sexting
- Add a PIN to the child’s cell phone. This protects the child’s information from being downloaded and republished, if the phone is stolen.
- Install monitoring software to block any unauthorized numbers. Monitoring software lets the child receive and send messages to school friends, but the parent receives an alert when the child has communication with anyone who is not on the “allow” list.
- Monitor any applications installed on a smartphone. The Android and iPhone stores have thousands of apps a child can download easily and install on a phone. Make sure the apps installed on the phone are age-appropriate.
- Tell to your child to never reveal his password to anyone, even friends. With a cell phone password, hackers and predators can’t gain further information from the phone, so private images and messages cannot be obtained without the child or the parent’s consent.
Emails, Instant Messaging (IMs) and Online Chat Rooms
Chat rooms and IMs received original attention for cybercrimes. The “A/S/L” (age/sex/location) comment was recognized by any frequent chat user to obtain private information from other chat room people. Child predators trolled the rooms for children who openly announced their ages and were willing to exchange sexually explicit messages. Although chat rooms are not as popular as social networking sites, they still remain a place where children are susceptible to online misconduct.
IM clients are included with popular software such as MSN and America Online. Children use this software to chat with friends while they are online or while they game. IMs are more convenient and cheaper than phones, but they are more difficult to monitor.
Chat rooms, IMs and email are mostly susceptible to porn links and the child accidentally installing malware on the computer. Children are not able to identify phishing scams as well as adults, so they may accidentally type private information into a phishing website, which compromises the child’s and the parent’s data and safety.
The biggest danger to children is a type of chat room called “chatroulette.” Chatroulette is a site that uses a chat program and a webcam. The user clicks “Next” and a random person appears. The site is well known to have users who display pornographic and other adult content from webcams. Since there is no advanced notice, the recipient sees anything the sender displays in the webcam. Chatroulette now has bans and filters, but its system does not protect children from viewing adult content when logging in to the system.
The best way to protect from sites such as chatroulette is to install an online monitoring application. Before you choose an online monitoring software, check out reviews for each product before making a decision. Make sure the product covers each chatting application you want to monitor. These applications also help you monitor social networking sites such as MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.
Tips to Protect Your Child and Your Computer from Malicious Email, IM and Chat Messages
- Create a group email account for very young children in the home. This email account can be shared by multiple young children, so parents only need to monitor one account.
- Create screen names and email accounts that do not display any personal information. For instance, creating a name with the child’s birth year at the end of the name can be deciphered by a child predator. Keep names generic and avoid using passwords that also use the child’s birthday, address or age.
- Communicate with the child that all passwords are private. Do not use your own private passwords, in case the child shares the password with anyone. If the child accidentally shares his password, change it immediately. Use different passwords for each application, so if, for example, the child’s email is compromised, the child’s social networking profiles are still secure.
- Create a “whitelist’ of users who can IM and email the child. IM software such as AIM lets you block all users except allowed screen names. Use this method to block all strangers from IMing your child. AOL’s email client also has this capability, so all spam and phishing emails are blocked from the child’s inbox.
- Explain to your child to always be careful when opening emails from strangers or clicking links embedded in IM messages. Tell the child to leave the email for your review, if he does not recognize the sender.
Online Games and Internet Predators
The online gaming market has increased in popularity, and some parents see gaming as an innocent, safe environment for kids. However, online gaming includes chats and interactivity with other players, who are adults. Desktop computers, Xbox, Playstation and Wii include chat services either through voice or using an embedded private messaging service. Parents must also monitor online gaming habits and any chat sessions between the child and other players. Parents can also mute console games’ sound, so younger children don’t hear the gaming conversations that usually include expletives and vulgar comments.
The first check a parent should do on a game is check the ESRB rating on the game. A rating of “Mature” or “Adult Only” has expletive content and violence. “Teen” is also a rating parents of younger children should be aware of.
Online games such as Warcraft have a high amount of older players who can contact a child freely in the game’s private messaging service. The game does not have any blocks or filters for children, so parents who allow their children to play the game should monitor any gaming habits.
USA Today’s report on child predators and games showed that online games such as World of Warcraft have offered predators a new platform to lure young children. A man in Utah was arrested for luring a young, 12 year old boy after meeting him on an online game. The same incident occurred with a 12 year old girl in World of Warcraft. It’s also been reported that Microsoft has worked with investigators and provided extracted messages within its Xbox Live platform, which is the company’s online gaming network available for all players who sign up to the online community. The company began cooperating with authorities after a man sent a 10 year old boy sexually explicit content using the Xbox Live gaming platform.
What Parents Should Know about Multiplayer Online Games and Parental Controls
- Turn off chat capabilities on online consoles such as Wii, Xbox and Playstation 3. Each console has its own parental controls setup, so check the console manufacturer documentation to remove any chatting or voice capabilities.
- Restrict game downloads based on ESRP ratings. PS3 and Xbox consoles allow you to download games from the console’s online store. Parents can determine the level of maturity for which the child can download.
- Remove the Web browsing feature on the console. Each console allows users to browse the Internet, which a child can use to circumvent computer parental controls. Ensure that the gaming console has the Web filters set as well as the home computer.
- Restrict the times at which a child can play the online games. Late night gaming while the parent is in bed can lead to chat sessions from child predators that the parent cannot manage or monitor.
- Check with the game manufacturer for any child settings. Some games include parental controls within the game itself, so you can add extra protection to the game for young children.
- Consider only allowing small children to play online games on a computer that sits in an open area of your home. Having the child play with people around makes it easier to monitor conversations and what the child is doing on the screen.
- Instruct your child to never give out personal information in the gaming chats. This includes any billing information on the account.
- Report any suspicious behavior to gaming moderators and the authorities.
Webcams and How They Cause a Threat to Children’s Safety
Webcams are fun devices you install on a computer. It allows people to chat with friends and family and take images and videos to send over the Internet. Webcams are one of the big threats to children’s safety, because the child can easily send images to a predator in a chat room or IM.
Child predators coax children into sending images, but children can also unexpectedly receive images from predators in IM or email. In February 2011, a Clarion County, Pennsylvania man was arrested for sending Webcam photos to a female he believed was only 13 years old girl. The 13 year old girl was actually law enforcement. The man sent the agent 30 sexually explicit photos the first night, and he continually sent images of himself until the man was arrested.
The best way to avoid Webcam images of your child online is to remove any Webcam from the child’s computer. If the parent wants to allow a Webcam, add one to a computer that the parent can monitor. Some monitoring software also monitors Webcam access, so the parent can block the Webcam at certain times of the day. The parent can also block the Webcam by username, so the child cannot access the camera unless he is online with the parent.
Some laptops have a Webcam installed on the monitor, so check the monitor before purchasing the laptop or netbook for a teen. The parent can disable the Webcam in the Windows Device Manager, but some applications turn on the camera when the child installs additional drivers or software to chat online.
Information about Webcam Safety for Parents
- The first step in any online safety for children is to discuss what is allowed to be shown online. Explain to the child what is permissible and what information should not be shared online.
- Speak specifically about the Webcam and who the child should send images to. For instance, tell the child that images sent to a family member is permissible, but images should not be shared with strangers online.
- Build confidence with the child, so she feels comfortable talking to the parent in case of any solicitations. Some children feel embarrassed or scared to discuss incidences with the parent. Tell the child that it is not wrong to tell the parent when a stranger sends “bad” messages.
- Develop a plan of action to report any strange behavior or images sent or requested from the child. Reports about any Internet abuse can be sent to the National Center of Missing or Exploited Children.
Cyberbullying – A New Form of Online Harassment
Cyberbullying has become a more popular subject with parents and teens. The topic gained popularity after several teens took videos of beating up another teen and posted the video on YouTube. Other incidents include situations where the teen commits suicide. Because of the dire consequences of suicide, parents and law enforcement have taken steps to protect children against cyberbullying. In some incidences, adults were involved in the harassment, which led to a MySpace teen committing suicide after a woman contacted the teen as her high school crush.
As social networks and chat applications increase in numbers, the platform for which cyberbullying can be performed increases. Cyberbullying is categorized as any cruel or harmful message – either text or images – using an electronic device such as email, cell phones, social networking sites, pagers or Web sites. Some teens have their private emails or social networking profiles hacked to make it look like they are the ones sending the messages. This form of cyberbullying is also illegal, and can lead to backlash from the child’s classmates.
The Attorney General for the State of Pennsylvania performed research on cyberbullying and teens and young children. The following statistics were released:
- 1 in 3 teens from 12 to 17 have had embarrassing or hateful comments made to them online, and 1 in 6 children between the ages of 6 and 11 have had hurtful comments made about them.
- 1 in 10 teens have had online threats that include physical harm. Four percent of young children have had physical harm threatened online.
- 16 percent of children threatened online did not tell anyone, including their parents, about the threatening comments.
- 30 percent of older teens told their parents about the threats.
- Older children are more likely to receive threats online rather than in-person at school. The report finds that 70 percent of older teens received their threats on the Internet.
Cyberbullying took front stage from the amount of reports of teens and pre-teens committing suicide over the threats. In March 2010, 17-year old Alexis Pilkington took her own life after being ridiculed on social networking websites.
In 2006, a 13 year old girl named Megan Meier joined the MySpace network and met a boy who was a fake profile made by the girl’s ex-friend’s mother. The girl hung herself in her parent’s closet after several weeks of communicating with the boy. The ex-friend’s mother sent a final message to the girl suggesting that the world would be better off without her.
In January 2010, a 9 year old boy in fourth grade took his own life in the nurse’s bathroom after being bullied online and in school.
These incidences and others have led to several bullying laws and organizations that help children and parents deal with bullies and the effects on children. Children and parents can take the following steps to deal with cyberbullying:
- Explain to the child to ignore any hateful email, IMs or messages and do not respond to them.
- Write letters to Web hosts or any website owner who hosts cyberbullying messages about the child. Most Web hosts or webmasters will remove hurtful comments about a teen or younger child.
- Change any email or phone number used to harass the child. If the harasser is an ex-friend of the child, contact the harasser’s parents to discuss the issue.
- Monitor the child’s social networking habits and messages. Require the child to give you the social networking site password, so you can monitor any questionable messages.
- Remove any Facebook friends that send harassing comments on the child’s Facebook Wall.
- Block any numbers that send the child harassing messages.
- Learn how the child’s school handles bullying of any kind. Learn if the school has any disciplinary action rules for children who bully other children.
In some cases, the attacker uploads content to YouTube. YouTube has a zero-tolerance policy for violent videos. YouTube also respects the privacy of children under 18, so the parent can have inappropriate content taken down. Any content that is set with an age-restriction must have a splash screen on the video, so users who are not logged in cannot see the video. If your child is in any unauthorized video, report the content to YouTube. A small flag button is located under each YouTube video. Use this button as well to report inappropriate videos.
Setting Parental Controls on Your Windows Computer
Along with monitoring a child’s activity, newer versions of the Windows operating system such as Vista and Windows 7 include parental controls to protect children from viewing inappropriate material. Parents can also control what times of day the child can access the Internet. Microsoft has a Safety and Security Center to help parents with controls and safety measures for the child’s computer.
Parental controls require the parent to first create a child account on the computer. The child uses this account to log in to the computer. Use the following steps to create a new child account:
- Click the Windows “Start” button and type “manage accounts” in the text box.
- Type an account name and click “Standard User” as the account type.
- Click “Create Account.”
- After you return to the main accounts screen, click the child’s account name you just created.
- Click “Set up Parental Controls,” then click “On” to turn on control of the child’s account.
Web Filters
Now that parental controls are turned on, you must set up filters and specify the types of blocks you want to create on the account. The first set of restrictions is for the Web.
- Click the “Web Filter” section. In this section, you set up restrictions based on content or filter out specific websites.
- Click “Block some websites or content.” In this section, type the sites you want to explicitly block in the “Block” section. You can also whitelist a site and add it to the “Allow List.”
Microsoft also offers the ability to block by content type. Click the “Block web content automatically” option to use content filters set up by Windows. Use the slide bar to set up the level of content ratings you want to filter.
Time Limits
The time limits section of the Windows Parental Controls set up the times of day and the number of days the child can use the computer. Parents should block times when the child should be in bed, and when the child should be in school or when the parent is at work. This setting controls use of the computer when the parents are not in the home to monitor activity.
Control the Types of Games Played on the Computer
Each game installed on the computer has an ESRP rating. You use these ratings to block adult content on the child’s Windows account.
- Click the “Game Rating Systems” in the parental controls window.
- Choose the “ESRP Ratings” system. Click “OK.”
After you initialize the rating system, click the child’s account and choose the rating you want to allow for the child. Choose “Teen” to allow teen games but block adult and violence rating. Choose “Everyone” for teens and younger children.
Block Programs on the Computer
If the parent does not want the child to access some programs such as email or IMing software, the “Block Specific Programs” section of parental controls blocks these programs from running on the child’s account.
Parents should block any program that launches a platform for harassment or child predators such as IMing programs, email, chat programs and content services such as AOL. If the parent allows the child to play some online games, be aware that these games include messaging services within the game, so the child still must be monitored during game play.
Parental Controls for Mac Users
Macs also contain parental control settings. You must also create a new child user account on the Mac to filter Web content specifically for the child and no other adult accounts on the computer. After you create the account, open the system settings and follow these steps to block inappropriate material:
- Click the “Content” tab. Check the box labeled “Hide profanity in dicationary.” You have two options for blocking Web content. The second options automatically blocks adult rated websites, so the child can browser all other websites. If you want to set a higher level of restrictions, check the option labeled “Allow access to only these websites.” With this option, only the specified sites are accessible.
- Click the “Mail and iChat” tab. Check “Limit iChat” and “Limit Mail.” Below the checkboxes, type the users from whom the child can receive email and IM messages.
- Click the “Time Limits” tab. This tab lets you set the time and days on which the child can access the computer. It also contains a “Bed Time” setting, so the child is logged off the computer at this specific time each day.
- Click the “Logs” tab. Turn on logging for all websites and chat sessions. This means that all conversations and sites visited are logged to a text file. You use this option when you let the child access any site on the computer, and when you want to monitor conversations during chat sessions, if you are suspicious of activity. Parents should randomly check chat records to ensure the child is not having private chats with strangers.
Antivirus Applications and How They Protect Children from Sexually Explicit Material
Several spyware and viruses redirect browsers and create browser pop-ups that show porn on a computer. These applications are automatically installed from either a malicious EXE file, or they are installed when the child uses an insecure browser such as Internet Explorer 6. To protect from this type of malicious content and exposing the sexually explicit images to your child, installing an antivirus application and keeping the definition files up-to-date stops the malicious software from installing on the computer.
Several free and paid antivirus applications are available each with their pros and cons. Installing the software is not enough. Parents must always keep the definition files up-to-date. Each antivirus software manufacturer provides the latest definition files for free, but the best applications have a service that automatically runs and updates the definition files automatically.
Norton Antivirus
Norton Antivirus is one of the most popular antivirus applications that has been around since the 1990s. Norton Antivirus has a program that automatically scans your computer each day and updates to the latest definition files. The downside of installing the software on a computer is that it slows the computer’s performance. Norton’s Antivirus also includes several disk utilities that you must disable if you do not want the extraneous software on the computer.
McAfee
McAfee is installed on some manufacturer’s computers such as Dell computers. McAfee has a free trial, which you must then sign up for the full application. McAfee is great at blocking malware that loads porn, but this application also slows the computer. If you decide to install Norton’s or McAfee, you may be forced to disable the application when you want to play online games, because both of these apps slow performance during game play.
Avast
Avast is a free antivirus software. You can download a free version of the software that just checks the system for viruses. This includes an automatic update service to install the latest definition files. The software does not harm performance on the computer even while downloading files. The free version does not come with other Avast tools such as tools to protect your identity and anti-spam utilities.
AVG
AVG is another free antivirus software that many gamers use, because it does not slow performance of the computer. AVG also comes with a mobile application to protect your child’s smartphone from unsolicited spam. Like Avast, the AVG free software does not come with the banking and identity theft protection, so you must pay for the upgrade.
Kaspersky
Kaspersky is another application not recommended for gamers or people who work in design and graphics. However, the software has a gaming mode you use when you’re gaming to turn off scans while you play. Kaspersky also has a feature that lets you enter sensitive passwords without the keyboard to protect your computer if you think you have a keylogger virus.
Regardless of the antivirus you choose, it’s important to install at least one of these applications to protect the computer from malware that redirects the child to porn sites, if malware is installed on the computer.
Keeping your child safe from these threats takes time and care, but you must also communicate with the child before entering into any social networking or chat room website. The chances are high that the child will encounter some type of online bullying or sexually explicit message, so it is also important that the child feels comfortable going to the parent with any concerns.
If anyone has any concerns about a child’s safety or feels that a child is in danger, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children immediately.
