Social Networking Sites - Should your children be taking part?

The Major Sites:

• Bebo
• HabboHotel
• Faceparty
• Lunarstorm

Social Networking has become the latest craze amongst the Internet community and for our children it is a natural part of their Internet education.  The online world is not just now an extension of our children's world, but an integral part. 

Social networking sites provide great opportunities for young people to meet and share experiences, but with this freedom comes a degree of risk and the need to act responsibly. We know that where children go online, so do those who seek to abuse them. 

What are social networking sites?

Social networking sites, sometimes referred to as "friend-of-a-friend" sites, build upon the concept of traditional social networks where you are connected to new people through people you already know. The purpose of some networking sites may be purely social, allowing users to establish friendships or romantic relationships, while others may focus on establishing business connections.

Although the features of social networking sites differ, they all allow you to provide information about yourself and offer some type of communication mechanism (forums, chat rooms, email, instant messenger) that enables you to connect with other users. On some sites, you can browse for people based on certain criteria, while other sites require that you be "introduced" to new people through a connection you share. Many of the sites have communities or subgroups that may be based on a particular interest.

What security implications do these sites present?

Social networking sites rely on connections and communication, so they encourage you to provide a certain amount of personal information. When deciding how much information to reveal, young children and teens may not exercise the same amount of caution as they would when meeting someone in person because:

• the internet provides a sense of anonymity
• the lack of physical interaction provides a false sense of security
• they tailor the information for their friends to read, forgetting that others may see it
• they want to offer insights to impress potential friends

While the majority of people using these sites do not pose a threat, predators are drawn to them because of the accessibility and amount of personal information available to them.  Predators may form relationships online and then convince young persons to meet them.  The personal information can also be used to conduct cyber bullying.

How can you protect your children who use Social Networking sites?

• Limit the amount of personal information posted - Educate your children to limit the amount of information they post that could make them vulnerable (e.g., full name, address, information about routines). If their friends or connections post information about them, make sure the combined information is not more than they would be comfortable with strangers knowing.
• Remember that the internet is a public resource -  Educate your children to only post information they are comfortable with anyone seeing. This includes information in their profile and in blogs and other forums.
• Be wary of strangers - The internet makes it easy for people to misrepresent their identities and motives.  Educate your children to consider limiting the people who are allowed to contact them on these sites. 
• Be aware -  Educate your children to be aware of potential online predators . People may post false or misleading information about various topics, including their own identities.
• Check privacy policies - As a parent, educator or carer be aware that some sites may share information such as email addresses or user preferences with other companies, your children should be alerted to this potential hazard. Try to locate the policy for handling referrals to make sure that your children do not unintentionally sign up their friends for spam emails . Some sites will continue to send email messages to anyone you refer until they join.

Children are especially susceptible to the threats that social networking sites present. Although many of these sites have age restrictions, children may misrepresent their ages so that they can join. By teaching children about internet safety, being aware of their online habits, and guiding them to appropriate sites, parents can make sure that the children become safe and responsible users

Latest reports from Childline state that 33% of contact related to mobile phone related bullying, and 16% to bullying online.

Recently published research has found that 15% of children and young people in the UK have received abusive or aggressive SMS messages or emails, and that there has been a year on year increase in the number of children who are being bullied using new technologies.  (Noret, 2007)

Downing Street says there are "genuine difficulties" in allowing the public to have more information about the whereabouts of paedophiles. 

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