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Common problems
One of the main problems is how to find information and material
you are interested in, without coming across offensive material
(pornographic, racist, violent, etc). The best way to find a particular
page or site is to know its exact web address or URL, so that you
can reach it directly. If you don't know this, but you have a topic/
subject you want to find, the best way forward is to make use of
one of the online search tools.
Search Engines are computerised indexes which allow you to search
the Web for keywords or phrases relating to the information you
wish to find. Legitimate searches for straightforward subjects can
still result in offensive websites being displayed in the list of
references and links produced by a search, because of the way in
which the indexes of these services are built up. Google is probably
best of the current search engines http://www.google.com
and Alta Vista, Lycos and Hotbot are other popular examples. Some
search engines include the option to use a "family-friendly
filter" that will reduce access to offensive website links,
but such filters are not always very effective. Take time to learn
how to use your preferred search engine well, as this will reduce
the volume of irrelevant references that your searches retrieve.
Search Directories sort useful websites into subject categories.
This means they are easier to browse through, using subject keywords
and topics, but they do include adult topics and links. Yahoo is
the best example.
http://www.yahoo.com
There are some family-friendly search services that only list wholesome
websites suitable for younger children, and do not display links
to adult websites, such as Ask Jeeves for Kids
http://www.ajkids.com
and Yahooligans
Teenagers will want to use bigger and more complete services.
When using your web browser software like Internet Explorer, click
on the "History" icon at the top of your screen and you
can see a list of websites that have been visited by other users
on that machine. This list can be easily wiped clean by knowledgeable
users; if this has happened you could discuss with them why they
deleted this information. Check the "Favourites" menu
to see if the user has added any websites that would concern you
to the list.
Schools will usually make use of software that attempts to block
or filter out undesirable websites that pupils might access, but
this cannot give any guarantee of safety. If any offensive webpages
are seen by pupils, and reported to staff, the school should have
a policy for dealing with such incidents.
Parents can try to restrict children accessing sites containing
sex, violence, etc partly through technical solutions. The web browser
software has a "Content advisor" service built in, (check
the "tools" menu at the top of your Internet Explorer
screen, click on "Internet options", "content"
and then "enable"). This tries to stop certain subjects
being accessed, by matching your preferences against "labels"
placed within websites by their producers that indicate their content.
It is not too effective as most sites do not add these labels to
their webpages.
Another technical solution is to buy and install on the home PC
a piece of Internet filtering software, such as CyberPatrol or Netnanny,
which must then be kept fresh with regular online updating. Surveys
has suggested that home filtering software is not especially effective,
often blocking valid sites while still allowing some offensive sites
through the filter, so parents should not rely on this protection
alone.
If you do find on your computer material which you think may be
illegal, such as photos or images, do report it to the police or
to The Internet Watch Foundation (an organisation that works closely
with police to tackle problems such as child pornography on the
Internet).
http://www.iwf.org.uk
Be cautious about your privacy and contact details - name, email
address, address, phone numbers, etc. Children and adults will often
give out a lot of information when filling in forms to enter web
competitions or clubs. This may lead to them receiving junk email,
unwelcome contacts, or even to a fraud where people impersonate
you to make purchases, join chat rooms or clubs, express extreme
opinions, etc. Look for tick-boxes on such websites that allow you
to opt out of receiving marketing material or having your details
sold on to other companies. Some websites have a published Privacy
policy but many do not, and there is no guarantee that a website
owner will comply with such a policy.
Downloads of software from websites should be treated with caution,
as they could contain a computer virus and mess up your computer.
Websites may offer you the chance to download an extra piece of
software, to take part in a game or enjoy a virtual reality experience.
If the site is part of a well-known company you are probably more
secure, but if the site is an unknown presence you may want to refuse
to download the file. Use anti-virus software if you want some added
protection.
Finally, don't always believe what you read online. There is no
quality control over a large proportion of what is said on websites,
and much of the material is misleading, inaccurate, biased, out
of date, or false. You need to consider the source of the information
on each website, and make a judgement about whether it can be trusted.
Adults are more skilled at spotting things that don't sound right;
children may need to be helped to recognise them. For example, information
on a government website (with its address ending ".gov.uk")
is likely to be reliable, while information on some commercial or
individual websites may be more biased.
Talking with young people about their Internet use is a critical
part of increasing child safety, as an understanding of their online
behaviour may help you spot areas of risk.
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