Internet Safety

Boys & Girls Clubs Are Leading the Charge Against Internet Abuse

[ Written by Mickey Goodman ]

It’s 2 p.m. and Executive Director Bobby Dunn is savoring the quiet at the Brookhaven Boys & Girls Club on North Druid Hills. “It won’t be this way for long,” he said. Before the words even escaped his mouth, the buses arrived and children poured out as eagerly as Braves fans arriving at Turner Field for the playoffs.

The chatter was constant but manageable in the deceptively large building with room enough to rotate more than 200 kids per day, ages 6 to 18, from the Learning Center to the Game Room to arts and crafts, the gym and the computer lab in a three-hour span after school.

“We’re not a glorified babysitting service,” Dunn said vehemently. “We monitor the kid’s grades and tutor those falling behind. We provide a healthy outlet for excess energy through sports in the gym, intramural and traveling basketball, handball and soccer teams; and teach arts and crafts, offer summer camps and encourage kids to help out in the community.”

Another important program at Boys & Girls Clubs is teaching kids to use the computer safely for fun and learning, a sorely needed and challenging task.

Virtual Reality

It’s not surprising that if you ask kids what they like doing best, most reply, “going to the computer lab.” But teaching kids how to use the World Wide Web for good instead of mischief can be a challenge.

Dan Rauzi, the senior director of technology at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, was stunned by the results of a recent survey conducted by the Clubs. More than half report that their parents never followed standard safety practices, including never surfing the Internet with them, asking who they are talking with online, restricting access to dangerous sites or checking the ratings on the video games they play.

“[Internet safety] begins with parents,” Rauzi said. “The most important thing parents can do is to talk with their kids about the rampant violence in video games and why the Internet can be dangerous.” He advises parents to discuss what’s happening on the screen, whether it’s a commercial, video or movie and explain that it’s not necessarily the truth. “Don’t over- or under-react to what they see and do. Instead, initiate a dialogue,” he advised.

Rauzi and other experts like Michelle Collins, director of the Exploited Children’s Unit at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, feel the single most important element to Internet safety is to get the computer out of the child’s bedroom and into family space where use can be monitored more easily.

They also warn that social networking sites like www.myspace.com and www.facebook.com are fraught with danger. One in 7 kids report having been contacted by predators and 1 in 25 have been aggressively solicited to meet in person. “Both sites are trying to make it difficult for predators by removing the offender and notifying law enforcement,” Collins said. “The unprecedented amount of personal information that kids are posting to social networking sites contributes to their vulnerability.”

In Atlanta, John Whitaker, GBI special agent in charge of the High Tech Investigations Unit and Internet Crimes Against Children task force, said that one of the dangers of social sites is that there is no age verification. “Fourteen-year olds can claim they are 18 and interact with teens far more sophisticated. Because of their young ages, they are far more vulnerable to exploitation,” he says.

As kids reach college age and beyond, another danger looms. College and corporate recruiters are scrutinizing applicant’s MySpace and Facebook pages in increasing numbers. They frequently use the applicant’s postings in their decision-making process. Foul language, sexual innuendo and cyber bullying can derail their chances.

Cyber-bullying, particularly among teenage girls, is not a minor teenage problem. Taking bullying to the Internet, teens post rumors and innuendo about other teens, and the rumors then spread like wildfire with no way to stop the Internet connection. It has led to several suicides like that of Megan Meier of Missouri and Vermont teen Ryan Patrick Halligan. Even if the results are far less horrific, cyber-bullying can spread like kudzu and have a negative impact on a wide scope of people in the school in addition to destroying a teen’s fragile self-esteem.

Parents Lead the Way

While talking to kids about Internet safety is important, isolated conversations don’t cut the mustard. Interaction must be ongoing, and parents should frequently ask kids in a non-threatening way who they are talking to. Tell kids what is expected of them.

“Parents shouldn’t be overly negative but let kids know your concerns,” Rauzi said. “They will push the boundaries but deep down kids like rules and feel safe when someone is watching them.” For example, when it comes to MySpace or Facebook accounts, regardless of how careful the teen may be, friends of friends can contact them and easily bypass the safety net provided by the companies and the parents. Parents should make sure they know their children’s usernames and passwords and are listed among their ‘friends’ to better monitor their children and ensure predators are not lurking about.

He also warns parents not to be too arbitrary about Internet usage. “Negotiate with your child how much time they should spend online or playing games beyond homework assignments (for example, an hour or two per day after homework and chores). Set up a framework you can both be happy with.”

Filtering tools provide a measure of safety, though nothing is fool proof. First, parents should check with their own Internet Service Provider (ISP) for free parental control tools. At www.getnet

wise.org, parents who complete a checklist receive recommendations for software that fits their parameters. (To access, click on “Kids’ Safety” then “Tools for Families.”) Each software program has its advantages and disadvantages. Parents are advised to visit several filtering tool web sites to find one that reflects their family’s values.

“Kids are technology-savvy,” Rauzi said. “They can figure out ways to get around many roadblocks parents erect so even the most stringent efforts don’t always work. They quickly figure out that they can go to a friend’s house, where the rules are more relaxed. That’s where the values you have instilled come to play.”

On the Flip Side

All the experts are quick to point out the positive side of surfing the Web. Kids can learn about any topic via unprecedented access to encyclopedias, dictionaries, news, sports, stock quotes, music, weather and beyond. They can travel virtually around the globe and visit places they’ve only dreamed of. They can also create graphics, movies, videos, alter photographs and communicate with friends with similar talents all over the world.

“Today’s kids are producers of media who use the net for social causes. It allows them to influence the world and take part in society in a positive way,” Rauzi said. “Parents are consumers and get information.”

“At the Boys & Girls Clubs, we have made a serious commitment to ensure that the kids [in our 4,000 clubs] develop computer skills,” he said. Competition is keen in the national contest sponsored by Microsoft and Best Buy to develop websites, graphics, music, photography and films.

Just like parents teach kids to look both ways before they cross the street and monitor their performance before allowing them to venture to the other side on their own, the same rules should apply to the Internet highway. Kids need guidance to traverse the virtual world safely. It’s up to adults to show the way. PN

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