The internet: benefits, dangers and strategies

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Most children at some stage will use the internet. Many parents can feel they are being left behind or are out of their depth compared to their children in grappling with the internet. As with other areas of children’s lives, parents have a responsibility to provide guidance and to set clear limits. This topic is aimed to assist parents in this task.

This topic covers:

what is the internet?
benefits of the internet
on-line dangers for children
what parents can do
readings & research
related topics.

What is the internet?

The internet is a massive network of computers from around the world all connected by cable and satellite. When users are connected to the internet, they can receive text, images, video and sound on their computer from computers anywhere in the world. Just as there is a book or magazine on nearly every subject in local libraries, bookshops or newsagents, so is there information on virtually every subject on the internet. The internet is sometimes called the world wide web (www) or just ‘the net’.

For a more detailed introduction to the internet and related terminology, see related topic What is the internet?

Benefits of the internet

The internet can provide children and adults alike with a world of exciting opportunities. It offers:

educational games and programs
research information for school projects and business
the opportunity to communicate with people from all around the world
the opportunity to share resources and ideas with people that have the same interests
shopping around the world without leaving your computer.

The internet uses multimedia and interactivity extensively. Using multimedia means that you can access not only written words, but also pictures, music and sound effects. Interactivity means that the user can choose what they want to see just by the click of a mouse. The computer ‘asks’ users questions which they can then answer.

On-line dangers for children

There are no regulations or controls on the material that is placed on the internet.

While there are over 3 million perfectly safe children’s sites on the net, children can unexpectedly come across material of a sexual or violent nature, language that is rude and the advertising of children’s products. Quite innocently they can bring up sites that do not relate to the topic they are looking for, or someone can send them images or messages that are not appropriate.

Therefore there are many things on-line that are not suitable for children or that are cause for concern. The main dangers to children are that they may:

access inappropriate information
inadvertently form ‘friendships’ with strangers
become victims of cyberbullying
be subjected to advertising pressures
risk their personal health through excessive use
endanger their privacy by revealing person details about themselves, such as their name and address.

Access inappropriate information

The search engines on the internet provide access to many sites on a given topic. Even when children are searching for ordinary everyday topics, it is possible that they might come across sites with information and/or images that could be harmful to them.

Sexually explicit material

this could include graphic pictures and videos intended for adults
exposure to graphic pornography can cause emotional distress to children
if you become aware of any child pornography on-line, note any relevant details and report the matter to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). For more details see the section below - "Lodge complaints".

Violent and disturbing images

this could include such things as crash scenes and even mortuary sites
research has shown that violence in any form of screen media, that is, films, videos, television, computer games and the internet, can have a negative effect on children, particularly young children
for more information about the impact of media violence, see related topics on the Young Media Australia website [http://www.youngmedia.org.au] or call the Young Media Australia Helpline on 1800 700 357.

Making purchases or gambling online

children can easily come across sites which encourage them to purchase goods on-line
on-line gambling. A credit card number is all it takes for someone to ‘play’.
using 1900 numbers. Children can inadvertently accumulate very large telephone bills in a short space of time by accessing Internet Dialer numbers that transfer them to an overseas phone line.

Incorrect and inaccurate information

children may believe that everything they see on the internet is factual
in fact, any person can put any information they like up on the internet and there is no guarantee that the information is accurate.

Inadvertently form ‘friendships’ with strangers

It is possible that children will come into contact with people who are pretending to be children but have other motives. There is a real danger that children may:

come into contact with paedophiles
provide personal details to strangers
arrange to meet friends they have made on the internet without really knowing who they are
be harassed by email.

Become victims of cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is the use of online or mobile technology to harass or intimidate another person. Teasing, false rumours, fase messages and threats can be spread by email, in chatrooms, blogs, forums and mobile phone messages. Bullying can be done by groups or individuals who are able to remain anonymous.

Be subjected to advertising pressures

Once on the internet, children are likely to be subjected to unsolicited advertising. This could take the form of pop-up advertisements or ads embedded into particular websites. Such advertising often has bright colourful images and catchy phrases designed to put pressure on children to purchase goods on-line. A term for unsolicited advertising on the internet, the equivalent of junk mail in your letter box, is ‘spam’.

Risk their personal health through excessive use

The internet can become addictive. It is important that children do not use the internet to the exclusion of other developmentally appropriate tasks including, the need to be physically active.

Endanger their privacy

Some sites encourage children to join clubs and enter competitions. In so doing, they reveal their name and address and may become the target of unwelcome marketing and other material.

What parents can do

There are several things that you can do to help counteract the dangers of the internet while allowing your children to use its benefits:

learn more about it yourself
be aware of what your children are doing on the internet
establish guidelines about safe internet use
teach your children to be critical users of the internet
put in place reasonable boundaries
use blocking software or filters
if necessary, lodge complaints.

Learn more about it yourself

The more you know about the internet, the more support you will be able to provide your children. Many local libraries, schools and other community groups offer free courses or courses at reasonable prices. Don’t forget, your children may be the best teaching resource you have — sit with them and ask them to help you understand. You don’t have to become an expert, but some degree of comfort with the technology will help.

Be aware of what your children are doing on the internet

You can do this in a number of ways, including sitting with them while they are using the internet and chatting with them about what they are doing. You can also keep track of what is going on by:

checking Bookmarks or Favorites (accessible via the icons on the menu bar) for sites your children like to visit often
checking recently visited sites (using Options, Preference or History)
email monitoring software is also available. KidSafe is an example of email monitoring software. It allows parents to filter email for their children to block out spam, viruses and offensive email. For more information go to the KidSafe website: http://www.kidsafe.net.au/

Establish guidelines about safe internet use

There are several practical steps you can take to safeguard what happens in your home in respect of the internet:

keep the computer that is connected to the internet in a family area, not behind closed doors
only allow your children to use chat groups or news-groups or send email messages with your permission and under your supervision
talk to your children’s school about their on-line policy; you may be able to put their safeguards into practice at home
select a reliable service provider and discuss children’s on-line safety with them.

Teach children to be critical users of the internet

One of the best ways of protecting your children is to teach them to be critical users of the internet. Teach your children:

never to give others their name, the names of their friends, or fill in questionnaires with their personal details
never to send images of themselves over the net as they may be used for other purposes
about ‘stranger danger’ as it applies to the internet. If a child or young adult wishes to meet new on-line ‘friends’ in person, make sure you supervise the meeting.
never to respond to messages or bulletin board items that are suggestive, obscene, or threatening. Encourage your children to report such experiences to you. If they do, discuss these matters calmly with your child and forward a copy of any such messages to your service provider, asking for assistance.
to only use monitored chat lines designed for their own age group
to always be themselves when on-line
to be critical in respect of ‘information’ found on the internet. Information on the internet comes from many sources and not all is reliable.

Use blocking software or filters

Blocking software or filters are the names used for programs that you can install and use on your computer to control the information that is accessed by children whilst on the internet. Blocking software:

can block or minimise the risks of harmful violent material, sexually explicit material and chat lines being displayed on your computer
is inexpensive and available from most computer suppliers or straight from the provider’s sites

For more information about blocking software, see the related web topic and Fact Sheet Internet filtering software—what it is and how to use it on the Young Media Australia website [www.youngmedia.org.au]. Free filters are available from the NetAlert website.

Whilst blocking software is an excellent idea for some age groups it is not foolproof and some computer aware children can still get around these programs. Blocking software goes hand in hand with parental supervision and is no substitute for it.

Put in place reasonable boundaries

Discuss with your children what you consider to be reasonable boundaries on use of the internet. Depending on the age of your child, negotiate these boundaries with them. For example:

Set a daily or weekly time limit. The amount of time you decide upon will depend on the age and developmental stage of your child. Remember that the internet can be addictive and that you may need to encourage your child to keep a balance with other activities, including being physically active.

Only allow internet access in public spaces so that you can keep an eye on what they are accessing and discuss it with them if necessary

Make it clear to them what materials are unacceptable.

Make rules about on-line shopping, downloading material, responding to unsolicited advertisements and so on.

Lodge complaints

If you think you or your child have come across something illegal on the internet, you can lodge a complaint with the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA)

ACMA has the oversight of internet content matters, and will investigate complaints referred to it in relation to specific web sites. For information about how to complain to ACMA, call (02) 9334 7700, or visit their website. http://www.acma.gov.au/

Following the links on this page you can submit a complaint, either:

online, or
by completing ACMA’s Complaint about website content form and submitting it
by email, or
in your own words to online@acma.gov.au, or
in writing either by completing ACMA’s Complaint about website content form and printing it, or writing a letter in your own words

Letters or completed forms can be posted to:
The Content Assessment Hotline Manager
ACMA, PO Box Q500, Queen Victoria Building, NSW 1230

or faxed to (02) 9334 7799

ACMA will investigate, and if it is found that the material is illegal, and the site is hosted in Australia, ACMA can issue a ‘take down’ notice to the relevant Internet Service Provider, requiring them to remove the website. If the site is hosted overseas, and is prohibited, or is likely to be prohibited, ACMA will notify the suppliers of approved filters to take action in accordance with the Internet Industry Association (IIA) [http://www.iia.net.au/] Code of Practice.

Readings & research

Computers & the internet
- Books, articles and reports
- Websites