What is the Internet?
The Internet is a system of computers that are linked together to provide communication between people all over the world.
A system of linked computers is called a network.
The Internet is a global network that people can use to talk to each other, share pictures, music and movies, view information, download files and programs, and do many other things.
The Internet is viewed by people through websites. A website is a image that shows up on your computer screen, and it has pictures, words and links on it.
A link is a picture or words that will take you to another website when you click on it.
The Internet can sometimes be thought of as being like a town that exists on computers. On the Internet, you can do many of the things that you can do in a town: chat with your friends, visit an on-line library, visit an on-line museum, hang out at an internet café, listen to music at a on-line concert, and shop in an online mall.
For this reason, some people call the
internet a “virtual village”.
Dangers of The Internet
Just like in a real town, there can be dangerous things & people on-line in the “virtual village” too.
There are several dangers on the internet that you need to watch out for.
There are dangers in the “virtual village” just like there are in real towns:
-Inappropriate Pictures
-Adults trying to victimize kids
-Harassment
Inappropriate Pictures
There are some websites on the internet that have pictures of unclothed people. These types of pictures are called pornography.
It is important that you avoid looking at pornography. Looking at pornography has many bad effects on people, especially kids.
HARMFUL EFFECTS OF PORNOGRAPHY:
-Viewing Pornography can cause kids to be at a greater risk of being sexually
assaulted by adults.
-Pornography is disrespectful in the way that it depicts women, and viewing
this type of material can lead to kids forming disrespectful attitudes towards
females.
-Pornography shows irresponsible behavior, and can lead to kids being involved
in similar irresponsible behavior.
-Pornography leads to unhealthy attitudes and values
Pornography can be addicting to some people, just like drugs are addicting.
What can you do to avoid running into
pornography when you are on-line?
1. Always follow the Internet Safety Guidelines that you will find near the end of the presentation.
2. Never go into or attempt to access any website that is called an “adult” website.
3. Don’t go into any website or click on any link that seems like it might be related to pornography.
4. If your parents have filtering software on your computer or internet service, don’t try to get around this software. It is there to protect you!
5. Don’t go onto any websites that tell you that you must be 18 years old or older to visit them.
6. Always tell your parents if you accidentally go to a website that has pornography on it.
Adults Trying to Victimize Kids
-Some adults are sick people.
-These sick adults will try to victimize children.
-These adults are the same type of adults who will try to lure kids into their
cars and kidnap them.
-Some adults will try to lure kids to them using the internet.
-These adults will try to form friendships with kids on-line. They will use a
variety of different methods to form these relationships with kids.
-Some of the methods that adults may use to form friendships with kids over the
internet are e-mail and chat rooms.
E-Mail
-Adults will sometimes try to communicate with and form relationships with kids
through e-mail.
-Adults may use their own e-mail address with their real name, or they may set
up e-mail accounts using fake names.
-Using e-mail, adults will try to form a relationship with kids in which the
kid comes to trust the adult & view them as a friend.
Chat Rooms
-A chat room is a on-line website that allows internet users to “chat” with
each other, or type messages to each other in real time.
-Adults may be present on chat rooms that are for kids only.
-You can never know exactly who a person is on-line.
-It is very easy for someone to register on a chat room or get an e-mail
address as a kid when they are actually an adult.
This picture shows a chat session that I logged into to provide an example for this presentation. In this chat session (at a “kids-only” chat room), I logged on as “Aaron1318”. I told people in this chat session that I was a 13 year old guy from Wisconsin. I was chatting with a couple of other kids. They believed that I was 13 years old. We were chatting for a while, and then I asked another person what city she lived in, and she told me that she had to go. This was a very smart move on her part. She obviously knew enough to not give out personal information over the internet. Some kids however, don’t know enough to not give other people their personal information. However, this example shows that it is very easy for an adult to log onto a kid’s chat room, tell kids that they are a kid themselves, and try to get personal information from kids on-line.
How to Avoid this Danger:
-Never go into chat rooms without your parent’s ok.
-If you have your own e-mail address, be sure that your parents approve you
exchanging e-mails with anyone that you’ve “met” on-line.
-Remember that you can’t assume that ANYONE on-line is really who they say they
are.
-Never send a picture of yourself, give out your home address or phone number,
tell anyone what city you live in, tell anyone your real name (first & last
name) or tell people what school you go to.
-If you do decide to go onto chat rooms, only go to chat rooms that have a
monitor, that are on a website just for kids, and that your parents have
approved you visiting.
-If you go into chat rooms, ask one of your parents to be with you when you
chat. This can give you a chance to teach your parents something about the
internet-and it will let them point out to you any messages that might seem
suspicious to them.
-Tell your parents if you have an e-mail pen pal. Let them read over some of
the messages that you and your pen pal exchange.
Danger Signs in E-Mail & Chat:
-People asking you if you are alone when you are chatting with them
-People talking about sexual or other inappropriate things
-People asking for personal information from you
-People asking you to send them a picture of you
-People asking for your phone number or if they can call you
-People sending you pornography or other inappropriate material
What To Do About E-Mail & Chat Danger Signs:
-If you’re in a chat room, tell the person that you have to go (just like the
girl in the chat example that I gave you did) and leave the chat room.
-If you are communicating with a person via e-mail & you see one of the danger
signs, don’t e-mail the person back.
-Tell your parents or another adult about what happened.
-If the other person threatened you, or sent you pornography or other
inappropriate material, or asked you to come visit or meet them, tell the
police!
The Consequences
Many kids have been kidnapped by people that they have met over the Internet when they traveled to meet their new "friends". Don't become one of the statistics and let something terrible happen to you by not being safe on-line.
Internet Safety Guidelines
1. Don’t give out personal information like your address, phone number,
parent’s work address/phone number, or the name of your school without your
parent’s approval.
2. Tell your parents right away if you come across anything on-line that makes
you feel uncomfortable.
3. Don’t agree to get together in person with anyone you “meet” on-line. If
you have a long relationship with a person, have reason to trust them & want
to meet them, check with your parents. If your parents ok it, meet them
somewhere in a public place WITH ONE OF YOUR PARENTS ALONG WITH YOU!
4. Never send a person your picture (or post your picture on-line) without
first checking with your parents.
5. Don’t respond to any message that makes you feel uncomfortable. It is not
your fault if you get a message like that. Tell your parents right away if
you get such a message.
6. Only use the internet with your parent’s permission. Talk with your
parents & set up rules for when you can go on-line, how long you can be on-
line for at a time, and websites that you can visit.
Conclusion
-The Sturgeon Bay Police Department, your parents,
and your teachers all want to keep you safe when
you are on-line.
-If you follow the safety rules we talked about today,
you will be able to safely enjoy the internet & the
many cool things that are on-line.
-Be sure to stay safe when you are on-line, and be
aware of the dangers that are present on the
internet.
Remember, Police Officers are here to help you and
keep you safe. If you have any questions about
staying safe on-line, just ask a police officer.
