IM (=Instant Message)
IM (=Instant messaging) is a technology that enable a form of real-time text-based communication between two or more people over the Internet or some form of internal network/intranet.
There are many programs that allow instant messaging communication for example, ICQ ,MSN messenger and Yahoo!’s Messenger. Children today manage their social life by using IM programs. They keep their list of friends on these programs and communicate with them daily.
Risks:
- In order to send an IM, the sender needs to know the username of the receiver. Many IM programs request the users to enter a profile when registering. It is very important that the child does not enter private information to his/her profile since this profile is usually public. It is best to instruct the child not to choose a username or a nickname that can reveal private information such as school, year of birth, gender etc.
- Some IM programs allow to search for a member by username or email address. Your child can get requests from strangers to be added as friends. Some of these requests are naive from children trying to socialize, but some requests belong to individuals with bad intentions such as child predators and bullies. Child predators often pose as children. It is important that you instruct your child to approve such requests only if the child is familiar with the sender (by recognizing his/her email address). A major guideline for your child should be not to communicate with strangers through IM, and not to give away any private information.
- IM is sometimes used for harassment. It is possible in some IM programs to block unwanted persons in order to avoid it. It is important to instruct the child not to give away his/her IM password to anyone in order to prevent impersonation or disclose private conversations.