INTERNET SAFETY
Goals for Learning: Help parents and children understand the basics of Internet safety.
Learner Objectives: Participants will identify things they can do to protect themselves while using the Internet.
Learner Outcomes: Learners will know what information is off limits to share. Learners will know what resources are available for Internet safety.
Target Audience: Parents and children Large groups up to 30
Target Presenter: Persons who have received 20 hours of sexual assault prevention and education training
Session Length: 55 Minutes
Materials Needed: Handout on do's and don'ts
Workshop Outline:
I. Strangers in the homeEvaluation Question:
What three things should you never tell a person on the Internet?
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Strangers in the home |
If you were out on the street, how many of you would walk up to a complete stranger and start a conversation? Please raise your hand. Now how many of you would walk up to a complete stranger and invite them into your house? Many said they would not invite a stranger in. Why is that ? We say we won't invite a stranger in the home, but sometimes when we use the Internet, we do just that. Since there is a potential for danger in using e-mail and chat rooms, today we are going to work as parents and young people to come up with guidelines to make the experience safe for all of us. |
| Talk About Game (5 minutes) |
I want us to start with a little game. I am going to split you into two groups. I want the parents to get into one group and brainstorm for a few minutes. Young people will be in a group together and do the same thing. Your question is: What kind of things is it okay to talk about with a stranger when using the Internet ? I want you to put one thing per sheet. When the time is up, we will post your ideas and see where you agree. Does anyone have a question ? |
| Results of the brainstorming (5 minutes) |
I'll let the youth begin. What are your ideas ? If the parents came up with the same idea, we will tape them up together. If the parents did not come up with the same idea, we will post them by themselves for now. |
| Let the Youth Talk (8 minutes) |
Since none of the parents really had any suggestions as to what would be considered safe and appropriate to discuss in chat rooms, email, and private chat rooms, it will be helpful to have the youth give their experiences and suggestions. |
| Why are some topics not safe to discuss (5 minutes) |
We have a stack of ideas the parents did not come up with.
Will the parents please explain why those topics were not on your list.
Now we're going to discuss some do's and don'ts for Internet safety. |
| To protect yourself (5 minutes) Some experts recommend that NO information is given out; Perpetrators ask for innocent sounding information in order to piece a complete picture of the child's life together. Sending pornography to a minor is a crime; it is also used to groom To meet or not to meet… It's not their dad; it's them |
DO : · Use a nick name or a special account for use when chatting with strangers. · Keep personal and private information a secret from strangers (name, age, where you live) · Tell your parents if someone asks what you look like (color of hair, how cute are you, anything about your body) · Tell your parents if someone sends you a photo of themselves, or sends you a dirty picture. (1) Likely, the photo is untrue. (2) The act of sending the inappropriate photo is called grooming. It is designed to break down your ability to say no. It gets you to do more and more with the stranger, so that when the time comes you will do whatever they ask. Also, sending pornography to a minor is a crime. · Talk to your parents if someone wants to meet you. (If you think its important to meet them, have your parent go along to observe from a short distance, or help you plan a safe time and place. In general meeting a stranger is not advised.) · Do be honest about your age ; meeting for the purpose of sex with a person under age, is a crime. Your honesty can help the police if they arrest a perpetrator. · Be cautious if they say their dad will pick you up. (Likely it will be the person who you are communicating with; they've lied about their age.) |
| Things you should never do (10 minutes) Do not give out any kind of personal information; it's the biggest mistake people make- adults included |
I am going to name some things you should never do when
using the internet. After each one, I'd like the youth to give the reason
why. After the youth have answered, then the parents can offer any
additional reasons they can think of. · Do not give your first and last name · Do not give your phone number · Do not give your home address · Do not give information about where you go to school · Do not give information about where your parents work · Don't even tell what team you play on Perpetrators are good at connecting information and getting their victims to disclose bits and pieces until they know the whole picture. Even if it seems innocent, they can put together the larger picture. |
| Introduce parent helps (3 minutes) |
This next part is for parents, but I want the youth to listen to it too. These are additional things parents can do to protect their children. I want the youth to listen and give feedback on the list after it's finished. |
| Strategies parents can use (5 minutes) Limit time. Use software. Check the history: Use help and type in history. The program should tell you what to do from there. Check things out if children hide the monitor. |
· Limit the time children can spend on the Internet. This
may include times of day or amount of time daily. · Place the computer in a public area of the house where every member of the family can observe what is going on. · Purchase software that monitors your kids. There is software that will prohibit the child from telling their name, address or phone number. (There is discussion as to whether this is helpful or not. Some say you should get your children to follow the rules, because they might give out the information on a computer that doesn't have the prohibitive software.) · Occasionally check the computer's history of use, see if your kids are deleting the history and see what they viewed. Look on the tool bar for an icon that says history or click on help and type in history. Investigate if your child is turning off the monitor, or otherwise hiding the screen when you enter the room. You would investigate if they were hurriedly hiding something under the bed, wouldn't you ? |
| What did you learn (8 minutes) |
We've covered a lot of area today. What did you learn that was helpful? |