Although the internet allows benefits such as socialisation, educational research and communicational tools, the internet also contains negative elements such as violence, pornography, predators and can also make children vulnerable to isolation and internet addiction.
Recent studies suggest that these activities are as addictive as drugs and alcohol and the Australian Medical Association recently considered adopting video game addiction as a distinct disorder.
Although there are Agencies such as ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority) whose roles are designed to address community concerns about offensive and illegal material online, and in particular, to protect children from being exposed to unsuitable material, there is no guarantee that children are safe.
Take the 'Myspace' / 'Facebook' phenomenon for example. The two social networking websites offer an interactive network of friends, personal profiles, groups, blogs, music, photos and videos for adults and children internationally. They are both an efficient and highly entertaining way of socialising but there are risks involved, such as: stalking, cyber-bullying and isolation.
An example of this - In February 2007, a family from Texas sued Myspace for negligence, fraud and misinterpretation because their daughter had been sexually assaulted by a man she met through the network. The girl had claimed she was aged 18 when she was actually only 13.
The case was dismissed and the judge claimed: "If anyone had a duty to protect ___ it was her parents, not Myspace".
It always comes back to the parents. Though let's be honest, a lot of parents are much less "internet-savvy" than their children, which makes it difficult for them to successfully moniter their children's online usage.
I think that the best safeguards for parents are to remain involved in their children's activities by establishing open and honest communication. Precautions like leaving your computer in he family room, constantly reinforcing the dangers of submitting personal information and not leaving them alone on the web for extended periods of time are just a few extra steps parents should take to ensure the safety of their children online.
Sam.
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1 comment:
Well said, parents should monitor what children do on the internet.
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