HEALTHwhere Magazine, December 2006
By Wayne Epperson
The safety and welfare of their children is the chief concern of every parent. Whether the kiddos are at home, at school or even on a trip to the library, parents try to ensure they are protected.
Parents intuitively know the general precautions required to safeguard their children. However, one area that proves problematic for many parents in the online community. Although the Internet has permeated practically every facet of society, parents still struggle with what to do to keep their children safe online.
To further parents’ understanding, Gary Geddes, an Austin-based member of the Microsoft National Security Team, gave HEALTHwhere a primer on Internet safety.
“Online safety really starts with online security. You have to have fundamental security in place in your home network and on your home PCs to make sure they are safe from Internet treats. That’s where online family safety starts,” says Geddes, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional. The CISSP certification is the highest in the industry.
Microsoft’s statistics show that roughly 80 percent of Americans have not taken the appropriate steps to protect their families online.
The first thing Gaddes tells a home computing family is that they should run an Internet firewall on their system and keep computers up to date with the latest software. Computers running Microsoft operating systems should be subscribed to the free automatic updates to patch any vulnerabilities that may be discovered.
Systems also should be protected with current anti-virus and anti-spyware software to protect against malware, the unwanted and malicious software that could infect a system. Passwords are also a must to protect home systems.
Users must be diligent
Next comes online safety, which is how a user behaves online after the computer has been secured technically.
People should be suspicious, or at least cautious, when they work on the Internet just as they would be when they leave their home, and be aware of their surroundings and avoid bad neighborhoods.
“You have to be careful about your behavior and not increase your risks by visiting potentially hostile Web sites or engaging in activity that might give up information about yourself or might expose your children, your family to online predators,” Geddes says.
Microsoft’s guidance is really around making sure that the family shares in the Internet experience. That parents are aware of what their children are doing online, and for them to pick a screen name or online name that won’t divulge their true identity, address or school.
Right and wrong behavior
“We also want to make sure that parents reinforce upon their kids that what’s right and wrong in the real world is also what’s right and wrong online. … There is definitely a risk that children can engage in behaviors they wouldn’t normally do in the physical world but would do online because they think somehow the rules of right and wrong don’t necessarily apply in the same way,” Geddes says.
Children should be respectful of others online and shouldn’t tolerate being disrespected or bullied by others. While they make a lot of online acquaintances, children should never meet a new friend without parental accompaniment because Internet predators prey on children by getting them to meet in person.
Parents can download Microsoft’s recommended Online Code of Conduct Contract from www.microsoft.com/athome/security/children/famwebrules.mspx and get their children to agree upfront about things they will and will not do online.
The contract is an acceptable use agreement that they won’t download pornography or illegal music and won’t send out hateful or offensive e-mails or jokes, among other activities.
When children don’t play by the rules, parents can use content controls and security software to monitor a child’s behavior online.
Using stealth software
That’s what Michael Gage of Frisco decided to do. He installed Specter Soft on his family’s computer.
“It’s a stealth software that tracks every site that’s visited and will notify me by e-mail if someone enters a questionable site that I don’t approve of,” Gage says. “The user won’t even know they are being monitored.”
The software tracks keystrokes for e-mails, instant messages, chats, and sends alerts on a number of options sites, including MySpace.
Kristen Carlson, another Frisco parent, has stopped her daughter from using MySpace and doesn’t allow an individual computer in the teen’s bedroom.
Her advice to other parents: “Keep the computer in an open area so you can monitor what they are doing. If you walk up and they begin closing boxes, you need to look closer,” Mrs. Carlson says.
Spying on a child’s activity can be touchy and jeopardize the bond of trust they have spent years trying to build, she says.
Deborah Vaden, Children’s Services Manager at the Irving Public Library, agrees that home computers should be in an open area where “mom or dad hang out.”
“It doesn’t need to be in the bedroom, children don’t need to be off someplace on their own doing things. They need to have it out there and very visible so that everybody in the family is aware,” Mrs. Vaden says.
Using Internet safety software
Irving’s central library separates children and adults. Those 14 and under use computers on the first floor, while those 15 and older are on the second floor. The two groups are mixed at the branches.
CyberPatrol, an Internet safety software, is installed on each computer in the library system and is configured to block all nudity and sexually explicit Web sites, according to a directive of the Irving City Council.
“When the company releases new sites to block in those categories, the software automatically downloads the updated restricted list,” says Network Specialist Sharon Shepherd.
Whenever a child with a library card logs onto one of the 14 computers in the central library, they first must agree to the rules for usage. If a child is caught violating the rules, their library card is pulled and will not be released until a parent comes with them to the library.
“People think that if they have CyberPatrol on a computer that their children are absolutely safe and that’s just not the case and we know that. That’s why we encourage parents to sit with their children and use the Internet together if possible,” says Librarian Debra Brown.
When asked the most important message he could give parents, Microsoft’s Gaddes said: “It’s so important that parents talk with their children and are aware of what their children are doing online.”
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