Internet Risks
Main risksSocial softwareAnonymity - State of being unknown | Mapping the risks |
Main Risks
When children surf the Internet they can be exposed to many risk factors that could lead to unwanted outcomes such as:
- Exposure to unsuited material such as pornography, gambling and drugs.
- Exploitation by child predators.
- Being victimized by web bullies.
- Falling to ploys and scams.
- Exposing private information that may be used for criminal activities.
- Exposing the personal computer to malicious softwares attacks.
- Destruction of boundries between the virtual and real worlds.
Social Software
The obvious risk factor is exposure to inappropriate content. Less obvious are the risks derived from online communication. Online communication can be established on the web by various tools, all falling under the generic name social software.
Social software covers a range of software and technologies used by Internet users to interact with each other. It covers different means of online communication techniques such as text messaging, voice communication and video in diverse Internet environments.
Social software includes: email, IM (=Instant Message), P2P (=Peer-to-Peer networks), newsgroups, chatrooms, forums, blogs, social network services, virtual worlds etc.
Some Internet environments use mixed online communication techniques. For example, in social network services such as Facebook and MySpace, you can create a blog, write emails, communicate by instant messaging etc.
Anonymity - State of being unknown
One important aspect of online communication is the ability to choose how you want to present yourself in a specific situation. Online communication allows you to be open about who you are, be anonymous or make up a new persona. This aspect has a major affect on the authenticity of online communication.
Anonymous online communication contains serious risk factors for children:
- They can easily become victims of abuse by individuals communicating with them, due to lack of mature judgment skills. Sometimes they are not able to interpret the nature of the relationship correctly and can be misled, bullied, abused and fall victim to scams and ploys.
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Kids like to imagine and build imaginary worlds for themselves.
The anonymous nature and the tools
provided by social software environments, enable children to
create an
imaginary world online.
It can be enjoyable and harmless, but it can
become harmful when the child is absorbed in the virtual world.
This may result in:
- Poor social skills in the real world.
- Diffculties in seperating the virtual world from the real one.
- Engaging in immoral or even criminal activities.
Mapping the risks
This section presents information about social software tools and the potential risks children may be exposed to when using them.
- Websites
- Instant Message (=IM)
- Newsgroups
- Peer-to-peer Networks
- Chatrooms
- Social Network Services
- Blogs
- Virtual Worlds