In 2000, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, went into effect to protect children in the United States while they use the Internet, according to "Bloomberg Businessweek." The law requires websites that collect identifiable information from children younger than age13 to obtain parental permission in advance. However, parents must also teach young children and teenagers to use the Internet safely.
Personal Info
Many young people use the Internet to keep up with friends they know in the "real" world. In those cases, it's fine to use real first names. However, kids should never provide their full names, photos, addresses or any other personal information to someone they don't know, the Federal Emergency Management Agency website warns. If a website requires a child's personal information, for instance, for a mailing address, kids should obtain permission from their parents to supply the information.
Cyberbullying
In 2006, a poll conducted by the national organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids found that nearly one third of all teenagers and one of every six preteens had been subjected to cyberbullying, according to the KidsHealth from Nemours website. Monitor kids' Internet activities, and instruct children to seek out help from parents or another adult if they or anyone they know is being bullied over the Internet, the Stop Bullying Now! website advises. Although it is important to respect a child's privacy, safety comes first. This means that parents must sometimes step in even when their kids don't want them to, the website explains.
"Sexting"
According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 4 percent of children and teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 had participated in "sexting," or sending sexually suggestive photos of themselves through their cell phones while 15 percent had received such photos from someone else, the Net Family News website reports. Parents should explain that passing along images or messages meant only for friends or a crush is a violation of trust, according to the ConnectSafely website. In addition, some local jurisdictions are prosecuting teenagers who participate in "sexting" with felony child pornography charges, according to Net Family News.
Internet Addiction
In South Korea, young people are sent to residential camps that use strenuous physical activity to break the hold of computer addiction, according to the "New York Times." Closer to home, students may spend as much as 60 hours per week online if parents do not intervene, according to HealthyPlace.com. Many students "socialize" online for entire evenings at a time, rather than going out, according to psychologist Linda Tipton, Ph.D., a psychologist at University of Maryland-College Park, quoted by the website.
The solution is not to ban kids from using the computer. Many teachers assign computer-based homework to students beginning in grade school, according to Palo Alto Online. Instead, parents should monitor how much time their kids spend online, and set guidelines for their online behavior, explained Anne Collier Anne Collier, who worked with President Barack Obama's working group concerning online safety, quoted by the website.
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