Internet Safety Guide for Teens 2008 |
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AZ Attorney General Terry Goddard LMIRL Arizona Attorney General , s Office 1275 West Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 602.542.5025 400 West Congress South Building Suite 315 Tucson, Arizona 85701 520.628.6504 Outside the Phoenix or Tucson metro area 800.352.8431 www.azag.gov July 2008 Message from the Attorney General You may think there’s not much about the Internet that you don’t already know, and that might be true. But can you keep your not-so-wise friends and younger brothers and sisters safe while online? Have you told them that a chat room that attracts them also attracts predators that are looking for younger victims? Have you told them how to identify a cyber predator? Have you warned them about giving away personal information? While social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, and chat rooms allow young people to plan events and get the latest gossip, they can also lead to trouble. On my visits to Arizona schools to discuss Internet Safety, students admit they are often quick to add new names as “friends,” thus removing important security features and giving personal information to strangers. Cyberbullying is another hazard. Some young people use Web sites, cell phones, instant messaging, chat rooms and blogs to harass, threaten and ridicule. What may start as a joke, once launched into cyberspace, can be very serious, and it never goes away. The impact on the victim can be devastating and even tragic. The bully may find they have committed a crime, exposed their parents to liability and/or damaged their own prospects for college or a job. For more information on Internet safety, visit www.azag.gov. Please also visit my MySpace page at www.myspace.com/arizonaag for updated tips or to ask me a question about Internet safety. I hope you use this booklet to help keep your friends and brothers and sisters safe online. Terry Goddard Arizona Attorney General 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS What’s the problem?.......................................2 What you’re doing online..................................2 How predators work........................................3 Online activities and their potential consequences.......12 Cyberbullying............................................15 Cyber Safety Guidelines & Tips...........................16 Resources............................................Center What ’s the problem ? The Internet can be a great tool, fun to surf and totally entertaining. But remember, we live in a world where people sometimes take advantage of others, especially teens. It’s smart to be prepared. Anything on the Internet, whether it’s chat rooms or Web sites, that attracts you and your friends will also attract predators. >>> Read on. Many predators, who are searching for children and teens to rape, kidnap or harm, now use the Internet to find victims. Predators communicate through chat rooms and instant messaging seeking to develop relationships with young people. They want their trust. When a trust forms, they ask to meet somewhere to check out a movie, window shop or get something to eat. Typically, a predator does all this while posing as a young adult or teenager. Cyber predators are tough to spot. Who are cyber predators? Not who you think. >> They are likely to have above average intelligence and income >> They may have a successful career >> They may be married with children of their own >> They may have no criminal history or none related to sex crimes >> Most are male (99%), non-Hispanic, white (91%) and older than 26 (86%) >> They may be perceived as “the last person you would expect to be a predator” Janis Wolak, Kimberly Mitchell, and David Finkelhor, Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later (2006). Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire. How they lure yo ung people Predators use the anonymity of the Internet to talk to young people. They look for clues to figure out what you care about and even where you live. Too often, it’s easy because you have unknowingly provided your personal information. 2 Abercromshoper89. prisonerofhermione15. 1/ User names / Scren names While a user name or screen name seems like a pretty innocent thing, it can be a gold mine of information for a predator. Many people choose something familiar and easy to remember. You might think about your favorite bands, pets, hobbies and sports as part of a user name or screen name. But what information are you giving a predator to use? User name: This tells the predator that you like to shop, Abercrombie and Fitch is your favorite, and that you were born in 1989. User name: This tells the predator that you are a Harry Potter fan, you especially like the character Hermione Granger and you are likely 15. Armed with this information, a predator will talk to Abercromshoper89 about shopping and fashion while talking to prisonerofhermione15 about Harry Potter and magic. It may not seem important, but providing a predator with any personal information that helps him learn how to become a trusted friend is potentially dangerous. Z+ d P When choosing a user name or screen name, think of the game “MadLibs.” Try using one of the following formulas to select a user name: >>> Adjective + noun stuffed ninja >>> Size + animal minielephant >>> Season + noun summerteeth >>> Random number + ice cream flavor 45cookiedough >>> Actor’s name + action verb Travoltadancing A user name or screen name with a random selection of words such as “Soupshoe” is much better than a potentially descriptive identifier such as “Missy1981.” Make sure your user identifier doesn’t relate to you, your age, your school, your location or your interests. NOT your age, phone number or address 3 4 2/ Profiles Profiles can provide predators with a lot of useful informa-tion. Profiles ask for information like your real name, birthday, address, phone number, hobbies and what school you go to. Filling out this information is meant to be useful to other teens and young adults who are looking for people to chat with who are interested in the same things. The problem is that predators use personal information to gain your trust and find ways to manipulate you. Filling out profiles is not required to use most chat programs, and filling them out is a pain in the neck anyway. To protect yourself, fill out profiles only on sites that allow you to control who has access to the profile. 3/ What yo u say Some predators will do something called “cyberstalking” (and yes, it’s as scary as it sounds). A predator will go to a teen or young adult chat room and pick a user name to follow through chat rooms. The predator will slowly accumulate information about that user by simply reading what they are chatting about. Young adults and teens face many problems with peer pressure, parents, family members and friends. Chat rooms seem like the perfect place to gripe about all those people, but watch out for people too anxious to take your side. Often, predators will play on your emotions by saying they went through the same thing. 4/ Seling st uf By selling things online, you can always make a quick buck off that old Pokemon or Ninja Turtles collection you got for your birthday when you were six. But selling things can also provide dangerous information to predators. Sometimes, a seller will provide their telephone number so that people inter-ested can call and ask questions about the item; predators don’t always call. Instead they use your telephone number to track you down. Providing your phone number not only tells a predator what state you live in, it also can lead them to your house. 5 6 Their Techni ques Identifying a cyber predator is difficult because they sound like anyone else. Chatting online can be really fun and can be a quick way to make new friends, but it might not be the safest way. Predators have many techniques that they use to convince you that they are just like you, can relate to your problems, and would like to become your real friend instead of your online buddy. Giving you special stuff When an online buddy sends you sexually explicit material, whether you want it or not, it is smart to stop speaking to that buddy. Predators use this technique to scare or befriend you. Almost all of the time this material is unwanted, but if you continue to speak to this person, they will push you to do more than just look at inappropriate materi-al. Ending the conver-sation with this person will tell that predator that you are not inter-ested in what they have to offer. Pretending Predators will often disguise themselves as teenagers and young adults. Most often they will try to befriend you as a peer. These people can be very con-vincing and, without realizing it, you may befriend a predator. There really is no way to know who is your age and who is an adult. But being safe means end-ing communication with any online buddy if they begin to harass you. Remember, never give out personal informa-tion (not even an email address) and if anything mean or inappropriate happens, don’t be afraid to tell your parents. Threats If an online buddy begins to threaten you because you refuse to meet him or speak to him anymore, the best thing to do is tell your parents. Predators exploit any weaknesses they can find. A preda-tor’s objective is to make you do what he wants. Getting advice from your parents will help you make the right decision and will make sure you stay safe. 7 Cyberstalking Searching chat rooms or reading your blogs are easy ways for a predator to learn how to talk to you and earn your trust. By following you through chat rooms, a predator can gather information about you and make you feel comfortable enough to talk to them about anything, even reveal-ing secrets. Beware of someone who knows everything about your conversations or who is quick to say “the same thing happened to me.” Photographs Putting photographs online is becoming more and more popu-lar, especially with chat rooms, blogs and MySpace or Facebook. Unfortunately, there are a number of rea-sons why photographs are a problem: • Combining a photo-graph with personal information can make it extremely easy for a predator to find his way to your school or doorstep. • Photographs can be manipulated—your face put onto another person’s body in a sexually explicit photograph—and posted for anyone, including your parents, to see. • The bottom line is that you should never send photos of your-self to people online who you don’t know. And you should always be careful who you allow to have access to your photos on MySpace or Facebook. Email Sometimes you meet people who you really like online and you want to talk to them more than just in chat rooms. But be careful before you give out your email address or instant messaging screen name. Often your email has a profile that can be easily accessed by a predator. Emails are personal and are sometimes unsafe to give to online buddies. Limit the people who have your email address to friends and family. Don’t give it to people you meet in chat rooms and set your chat pro-file to not display your email address. 8 1 in 7 young people has received unwanted sexual solicitations online. One-third of these solicita-tions (31%) were aggressive and involved attempted, offline contact with youth. In more than one-quarter (27%) of incidents solicitors asked youth for sexual photographs of themselves. 1 in 3 young people has been exposed to sexually explicit materials online without seeking or expecting them. 1 in 11 young people has been threatened or harassed online. Janis Wolak, Kimberly Mitchell, and David Finkelhor, Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later (2006). Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire. 9 10 11 1. Chatting with strangers in a chat room It’s easy to lie online because a person’s identity can be easily disguised, so you never know who you are talking to. Giving out information to people online is just as dangerous as giving the same information to a stranger you meet on the street, maybe even more dangerous. 2. Using a webcam For a predator, a webcam is the next best thing to an in-person meeting. By allowing people to view your webcam, you are essentially opening the shades to your home or your bedroom and allowing a complete stranger to watch you through that window. Predators will use what they see to take advantage of you. They may record the video you send and post it for the world to see or simply wait and use it against you later. 3. Accepting webcam views from strangers By accepting an invitation to view live webcams from strangers, you could be exposed to unwanted nudity and sexu-ally explicit video which could be disturbing. Remember, that 16-year-old inviting you to see him is more likely to be around 50, overweight and hairy! 4. Arranging a face-to-face meeting with someone you’ve met online Since it is not possible to know who you are really talking to online, you may be unpleasantly surprised when you discover that person’s true identity. Predators arrange meetings with youth for the purposes of hurting, molesting, raping, kidnapping and even killing them. & their POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES ONLINE ACTIVITIES 12 13 5. Downloading pictures from an unknown source Downloading a picture may bring hidden viruses, which may destroy your computer, or place “cookies” that allow the sender to track where you go on the Internet, as well as key stroke trackers that may be used to steal your identity. 6. Filling out online profiles Filling out profiles will allow predators to see personal information about you, such as your real name, phone number, address, school name, etc., and will allow the predator to “find” you in real life. 7. Posting pictures of yourself on the Internet In addition to allowing anyone to get a look at you, digital photo manipulation can put your face on another body, in any graphic situation. When such a photo is in the possession of a predator, it can have devastating consequences. The predator might threaten to send the picture to your parents or spread it all over the Internet unless you do as he says. 8. Posting on blogs and social networking sites Because these popular online features are virtual diaries, they give online predators a more intimate look into your thoughts and feelings. By reading postings on a blog, a predator can get a greater insight into your vulnerabili-ties, likes and dislikes and can “tailor” his message to you. It may take a predator some time to learn about you, but the more information you place on blogs, podcasts and social networking sites, the easier you will make it for the predator. The next time you think you have met your online soulmate, consider that it is more likely that you have encountered a cyber predator. 9. Responding to postings that are belligerent or harassing These messages are often posted by the author simply to get a reaction. If you do respond, you may open yourself to harassment. V 14 15 Cyberb ulying …It’s Not a Joke Social networking sites, chat rooms, email and cell phones are a fun part of life. However, this way of communicating has also made it easier to spread rumors and be cruel to others. Because they are not saying some-thing to the other person’s face, kids often say things online that they later regret and would never say in real life. But it is important to keep in mind that once you post, there is no taking it back – even if you feel bad about it later. So before you send that hasty text message or cell phone photo spreading gossip or making fun of someone, consider this… • Cell phones and texts allow rumors to move quickly, before the real facts of a situation can be found out. You don’t want to be responsible for spreading something that is false – it can come back to bite you. • If you see something you think is funny but could be embar-rassing to someone else, con-sider how you would feel if you were on the other side before you whip out that cell phone camera. After all, everyone does embarrassing things some-times and it isn’t a good feel-ing to know that everyone at school is watching you with a cell phone camera just waiting for you to do something stupid. Think about the consequences of what you say, text or post. You never know what may be going on inside of another person and the effect that your words could have on them. Many kids have trans-ferred schools or even commit-ted suicide to escape harassment. Remember that it is always best to treat others as you would like to be treated, even online. If you see cyberbullying going on, you can do something about it. Report cruel postings and mocking photos to MySpace, or whatever site you are on, and they will remove it without revealing that you were the one to report it. You can also talk to your parents or school offi-cials about offensive postings. If the mean rumor or gossip is in an IM or text message or in a chat room, you can choose to delete the message…don’t forward it and don’t join in. 16 Available for download at w.azag.gov. • Remember that anyone can lie on the Internet. • Limit giving out information about yourself only to trusted friends or family. • Help catch predators. Contact local law enforcement or the CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com or 1.800.THE.LOST (1.800.843.5678). Report any of the following issues immediately. >>> Child pornography - do not print it or send it, but save it. >>> Sexually explicit pictures or streaming video - save the information. >>> Sexual solicitation - save the communication by copying and pasting into a text file. • Don’t stay in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation online. A bad situation could get worse if you ignore it. Talk to a parent or a trusted adult. • Share these guidelines with your friends and family. Cyber safety guidelines 17 RESOURCES Arizona Attorney General’s Office www.azag.gov Phoenix: 602.542.2123 Tucson: 520.628.6504 Outside the Phoenix or Tucson metro area: 800.352.8431 Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force www.azicac.org ChildhelpUSA www.childhelpusa.org 24 Hour Child Abuse Crisis Counseling 1.800.4ACHILD (1.800.422.4453) Common Sense Media www.commonsense.com Community Information and Referral www.cirs.org 602.263.8856 (800.352.3792 within area codes 520 and 928) GetNetWise www.getnetwise.org i-SAFE www.isafe.org Internet Fraud Complaint Center www.ic3.gov National Center for Missing & Exploited Children www.missing.org CyberTipline www.cybertipline.com or 1.800.THE.LOST (1.800.843.5678) NetSmartz Workshop www.netsmartz.org www.netsmartz411.org State of Arizona Department of Public Safety Sex Offender InfoCenter www.az.gov/webapp/offender /main.do Web Wise Kids www.webwisekids.org WiredSafety www.wiredsafety.org www.wiredkids.org www.teenangels.org www.stopcyberbullying.org The Attorney General’s Community Services Program includes Satellite Offices and the Fraud Fighter Van. Satellite Offices make it easier for residents to get information on consumer fraud and civil and victims’ rights issues in their own neighborhoods. Volunteers are available to make educational presentations to community groups and distribute materials at local events. Contact the Attorney General’s Office Community Services Program if you would like to schedule an Internet Safety presentation for your school, church or community group. Satellite Offices are located throughout Arizona. A complete list of locations and schedule of events are posted on the Community Services page of the Attorney General’s Web site. The Fraud Fighter Van is the newest tool to bring services and information to senior centers, libraries and neighborhoods. The Fraud Fighter Van is filled with information about identity theft, scam alerts, Internet safety and much more. For more information, contact: Community Services Program Arizona Attorney General’s Office 1275 West Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 602.542.2123 or 1.800.352.8431 communityservices@azag.gov Other Publications available from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office: • Identity Theft • Consumers’ Guide to Buying a Car • Life Care Planning • Predatory Lending • Top 10 Consumer Scams Phoenix Mesa Tucson Payson Prescott Flagstaff San Luis Tempe/ASU Sun City South Tucson Green Valley Lake Havasu City Sierra Vista Nogales Sedona Somerton Yuma Kingman Oro Valley Safford Tubac Wickenburg Winslow Apache Junction Florence Crime and Fraud Prevention Initiatives • Civil Rights: > Employment Discrimination > Housing Discrimination > Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation > Voting Discrimination Subscribe to the Attorney General’s consumer alerts and messages on current issues at www.azag.gov. 29 Internet Survival Tips for Parents and Teachers 1. Be aware and involved. 2. Do your homework. 3. Talk to your kids. 4. Teach safety. 5. Set rules. 6. Report suspicious activity. 7. Help kids view online information with a critical eye. 8. View your own online habits with a critical eye. 9. Make sure you keep channels of communication open. 10. Embrace their world. Remember, the Internet is here to stay. It’s our job to help our kids be Internet safe and smart. www.commonsensemedia.com 28 Parents, guardians, educators and law enforcement also have access to resources, including NetSmartz411, for learning and teaching about the dangers children may face online. NetSmartz focuses on three basic rules for Internet Safety. The games and activities are designed to give children of various age groups a better understanding of the risks they could encounter online. With that understanding, they may be more receptive when you com-municate your desire to protect them by setting up rules for Internet use. i-SAFE (www.isafe.org) i-SAFE offers a K-12 curriculum and community outreach programs to parents, law enforcement and community leaders. A number of i-SAFE programs give students and parents opportunities to get involved in their schools and communities by teaching and promoting Internet Safety. Common Sense Media (www.commonsense.com) Common Sense Media, a leading children and media organization, has released a new guide, “Keeping Your Kids Internet Safe and Smart.” The guide describes chal-lenges faced by parents online and tips for both kids and parents. It also includes helpful information on Internet gaming, downloading and social networking. Web Wise Kids (www.webwisekids.org) Web Wise Kids offers fun, chal-lenging and interactive simulations for kids based on real-life criminal cases. The program also provides a special learning program sponsored in part by the US Department of Justice and designed just for parents. By addressing issues like piracy, fraud, online romances, bullying, social networking, blogging, cyber stalking, online predators, identity theft and more, Web Wise Kids helps prepare young people to be their own first line of defense so they can safely explore the best that the Internet has to offer. INTERNET SAFETY EDUCATION Many good resources are available at no cost to teach kids and parents about Internet Safety through Web sites, school cur-riculums or law enforcement agen-cies. Here are a few examples: The Arizona Attorney General’s Internet Safety Initiative Attorney General Terry Goddard launched a major Internet Safety Initiative to ensure aggressive prosecution of Internet crimes against children and teamed up with the NetSmartz Workshop® and the Arizona Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs to provide Internet Safety education to Arizona children. Information on Internet Safety, including this Guide, Internet Safety DVD, Internet Safety Tips and Kids Page, are available on the Arizona Attorney General’s Web site (www.azag.gov). Kids who successfully complete the NetSmartz Internet Safety Quiz on the Attorney General’s Kids Page will get an official Web License. NetSmartz Workshop (www.NetSmartz.org) NetSmartz combines the newest technolo-gies with the most current informa-tion to create high-impact educational activities that are well received by even the most tech-savvy kids. 27 • Allowing only approved addresses to email your child • Filtering Web sites • Filtering searches or allowing your child to use child-safe search engines • Recording instant message conversations or chat room conversations • Notifying you when your child tries to access an inappropriate Web site • Limiting the time your child spends online • Operates in the background without your child’s knowledge • Allowing third-party rating of Web sites • Recording every key stroke your child makes • Recording and sending you pictures of your child’s computer screen as they are using it Not all of these options are included in each software program. Each program is different. Compare and find the program that suits your needs. Filtered ISPs Most Internet Service Providers, such as AOL, Comcast, MSN and Qwest, can provide you with some filtering and blocking tools to help protect your child online. Contact them for more information. 26 for multiple user profiles to be set up. Every person who uses a computer can have their own user name and password. To gain access to the computer, the user name and password are required. This allows you to set up different levels of access for each of the differ-ent users and also makes it easier to track and find out what each of the users are doing on the computer. To get more information about setting up user profiles, consult your computer’s help files. Web Browser Controls Most Web browsers have a way to filter and block inappro-priate Web sites from being accessed. Web browser settings can be used in conjunction with user profiles to fine tune the level of access different users have on the Internet. By fine tuning these controls, you can customize the type of content that each user can access. For more information on using these settings, consult your browser’s help files. Viewing Internet History / Temporary Internet Files To track your child’s online activity, you can use the Internet History and Temporary Internet Files to see what Web sites have been accessed recently. More savvy computer users can delete this infor-mation from easy access, but it is still typically acces-sible by a computer expert. For more information about viewing Internet history and temporary Internet files, consult your browser’s help files. Software There are many software pro-grams available for purchase that help make the Internet safer for your children. Some of the options these programs can give you include: • Blocking chat rooms and/or instant messaging • Blocking downloads • Disabling links in chat rooms 25 What to do if your child becomes a victim If your child has received a sexual solicitation online, immediately contact the CyberTipline at www.cyber-tipline. com or 1.800.THE. LOST (1.800.843.5678). The CyberTipline is part of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which coordi-nates the efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate Internet crimes against children. If you suspect a face-to-face meeting has been arranged, contact your local law enforcement imme-diately to request assistance. If you or your child has received child pornography, save but do not print the images and call law enforcement immediately. DO NOT EMAIL or PRINT THE PHOTOGRAPHS! If you do, you may be committing a crime. Internet Safety Tools for Parents There are a number of tools parents can use to protect their children from Internet dangers. Although none of them are fool-proof, they can help. Here are a few: • Computer Placement • User Profiles • Web Browser Controls • Viewing Internet History • Filtering/Blocking/Monitoring Software • Filtered ISPs Computer Placement Keep the computer in a common area of your home when you can. It’s easiest to monitor what your children are doing without having to pry if the computer is in an open area, such as the living room or kitchen. Don’t place the computer in a room where your child can close the door and go online. User Profiles Newer versions of Windows and Apple’s operating software allow 24 How to talk to your teenager about Internet safety • Your teenager is gaining independence and struggling to get away from parental control. Protect them without alienating them by letting them have some independence while still providing parental guidance. Be involved with what they are doing on the Internet without invading their privacy. Make sure they still feel comfortable talking to you about what they do on the Net. • Don’t talk down to your teen. Instead, show your teen that you trust them to make good decisions. Encourage them to protect themselves from online preda-tors by being vigilant and cautious. • Set reasonable expectations. You can’t expect a teenager to completely avoid chat rooms, but you can expect them to not give a stranger their personal information. • Remember what it was like to be their age. If you find they are doing some-thing online you find inappropriate, choose a punishment carefully and remember that teenagers are going through a difficult and exciting time of change and new discoveries. • Be supportive! Visit sites with your children. Let them know what you consider inappropriate. Learn about the Internet. Don’t put your head in the sand. Study. Some helpful sites for parents are: iSafe (www.isafe.org) NetSmartz Workshop (www.NetSmartz.org) Common Sense Media (www.commonsense.com) Install filtering software onto your computers. These Web sites can direct you to the right software that’s best for you: www.getnetwise.org/tools/ or www.filterreview.com. If you think your child might be engaged in dangerous activity on the Internet, you can check the computer’s Internet history to see the Web sites that have recently been visited. You can also take the computer into a computer services store. They can provide a full diagnostic evaluation to tell you exactly where your computer has been online and the types of activities that have taken place using your computer. Search for your child’s name on MySpace and by using search engines like Google or Yahoo! You may find a profile or Web page your child posted or a page or comments about your child posted by someone else. 23 22 21 Age appropriate guidelines It’s important to remember that rules and guidelines you establish for young kids, preteens and teens will most likely be very different. Teenagers are especially protective of their privacy and are the least willing to share what they are doing online. They will probably tell you that they don’t want to be treated like a child. Keep this in mind when you create age appropriate Internet usage rules for your kids. Here are some general guidelines to impress upon your kids, although some of them apply more to teenagers. • Be extremely skeptical about what you read on the Internet, especially from someone in a chat rom. It is extremely easy to lie online and a predator will tell you as many lies as possible to gain your trust. • Be very careful about what infor-mation you give someone online, especially personal information that can be used to find you. • DO NOT met someone in person that you met online. Once your teenager has gotten their driver’s license or if they use public transportation, it can be very difficult for you to prevent this from happening. You might want to emphasize how dangerous it is to meet someone you don’t know ALONE. If they cannot be talked out of meeting someone from the Internet, they should at least bring a friend and meet in a public place. • Do not download files a stranger has sent you. They can contain inappropriate material or computer viruses. • Do not view the webcam of a stranger. • Be smart about what information you put in your online profile or blog. Don’t include any information that could be used to locate you. Remember to make your blog entries private or for friends only. 20 > If a cyberbully has posted embarrassing photos or personal information about your child on a Web site, contact your Internet Service Provider for assistance, the Web site host-ing the page, and if necessary, inform local law enforcement to try to get the Web site removed. > If the bully is a fellow student, notify the school and request assistance from the administra-tion and School Resource Officer. If there are threats or harassment, notify law enforcement. 19 18 Cyberbulying Kids no longer need muscles to bully and torment their peers. The Internet now makes it possible for bullies to torment their victims in their homes at any time of day. Cyberbullies may use chat rooms, email, instant messaging, cell phones and Web sites to embarrass, threaten or intimidate a child. Technology allows them to share gossip, spread lies or distribute embarrassing pictures to a wide audience while maintaining some anonymity. What may start as a joke, once launched into cyberspace can be very serious. The impact on the victim can be devastating and even tragic. The bully may be committing a crime, exposing their parents to liability and/or damaging their own prospects for college or a job. Not surprisingly, one in every 11 kids reported being threatened or harassed while using the Internet. Janis Wolak, Kimberly Mitchell, and David Finkelhor. Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later (2006), Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire. Tips to protect your child against cyberbullying Let kids know what online behavior you find unaccept-able. Look for signs that your child might be a cyberbullying victim; these could include nightmares, school avoidance or sudden interest in or avoidance of the computer. Block messages from bullies and save evidence that may help identify a bully. > If your child continues to receive harassing emails, have them delete their current accounts and help them open a new one. > Save the evidence in case you need proof. 6. Chatting with strangers in a chat room It’s easy to lie online. Seemingly innocent conversa-tions can have harmful ulterior motives. Don’t believe every-thing someone tells you in a chat room. 7. Using a webcam For a predator, a webcam is the next best thing to an in-person meeting. By allowing people to view a webcam, your child is essentially opening the shades to your home and allowing a complete stranger to watch them through that window. Predators will use what they see to take advantage of your child. They may record the video your child sends and post it for the world to see or simply wait and use it against your child later. 8. Accepting webcam views from strangers By accepting an invitation to view live webcams from strangers, your child could be exposed to nudity and sexually explicit material. Ask your child never to accept an invitation to view a webcam or click on a link in a chat room. 9. Arranging a face-to- face meeting with someone met online Your child could be hurt, molested, raped, kidnapped or worse during a face-to-face encounter. 17 ONLINE ACTIVITIES and their POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES 1. Filling out online profiles Filling out profiles will allow predators to see personal information about your child, such as their real name, phone number, address, school name, etc. and will allow the predator to “find” your child in real life. 2. Downloading pictures from an unknown source Downloading a picture may bring hidden viruses, which may destroy your computer, or place “cookies” that allow the sender to track where you or your child goes on the Internet, as well as key stroke trackers that may be used to steal your child’s identity. 3. Responding to postings that are belligerent or harassing These messages are often posted by the author simply to see who will respond and to get a conversa-tion going. 4. Posting pictures on the Internet In addition to allowing anyone to get a look at your child, digital photo manipulation could put your child’s face on another body, which could be spread all over the Internet, or your child could be blackmailed into sending more photos. 5. Posting on blogs and social networking sites MySpace and other social networking sites are wildly popular among young people and new territory for law enforcement, schools and parents. Teens are often quick to add new names as “friends,” thus remov-ing important security features and divulging personal information to strangers. There are over 200 million subscribers to MySpace, and that number grows every day. Among these millions are many who will paint a false picture of themselves to get close to young people and try to arrange a face-to-face meeting. By reading postings on a child’s blog, a predator can get insight into a child’s vulnerabilities, likes and dislikes and can “tailor” his message to target that child. 16 6. Your child receives mail/gifts/packages from senders you don’t know Track the package, research who it is from. Use the same tools the predators use to get information, such as reverse address directory searches, telephone directory searches, email address searches, Google searches etc. Once the relation-ship reaches this level, it’s time to intervene. A face-to-face meeting with your child may be in the planning stages. To report a cyberpredator, immedi-ately contact the CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com or 1.800. THE.LOST (1.800.843.5678). The CyberTipline is part of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which coordi-nates the efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate Internet crimes against children. If you suspect a face-to-face meeting has been arranged, also contact your local law enforcement immediately to request assistance. What can you do to keep your children safe in cyberspace? First and foremost, talk to your children openly and frankly. Be available to answer questions and concerns. Let them know about Internet dangers, including identity theft, exposure to sexually explicit or violent material and sexual predators. Make it safe for them to come to you with concerns about people they’ve met online, when an inappropriate pop up appears or someone sends them inappropriate materials and if someone harasses or threatens them online. Let them know that on the Internet, people can pretend to be anyone. And their intentions are often not good. Use separate user profiles, content filtering software and/or ISP filters, Web browser controls and/or your Web browser’s Internet history to monitor what your child is doing on the Internet. See the section on Tools (p. 24) for more information. 15 14 13 “Most children do not inform their parents when they face a difficult situation online, such as being contacted by someone they don’t know. The main reasons for their hesitation are embarrassment and fear of losing access to the Internet.” Assistant Attorney General Gail Thackeray Warning Signs that Your Child Might Become a Victim and What To Do About It 1. Your child becomes withdrawn from the family, isolates themself more often Talk to your child, and their teachers, consider counseling. 2. Your child is spending more time online Ask what they are doing that is causing them to spend so much time online. Research for school? Chats? Downloading? Games? Use your Web browser’s “Internet History” to view the Web sites that have been visited. 3. Your child turns off the screen when you walk in the room What does your child not want you to see? Are they ashamed of something? Talk to them about their online activity. Be aware, though, that prying too much could foster paranoia and lead to more secretive behavior and further isolation. 4. You find pornography on the computer If it’s adult porn, talk to your child. If it’s child pornography, save the images but do not print them, and contact the authorities immediately. 5. Your phone bill has calls to unknown numbers There are a number of tools available online to search telephone numbers. Do a reverse phone direc-tory search online to find out whose number it is. The reverse number search will give you a name and an address for the telephone number. 12 H Predator expresses excitement, tells the child the “uncle” will buy the game. I Predator starts asking for clues about the child, begins scheming to find out where the child is to arrange a face-to-face meeting. J The predator will place himself in close proximity to the child, regardless of his actual location. K Child has actually just determined the final meeting place without realizing the danger he/she is in because of the misplaced trust in the new “friend.” L Predator finalizes the meeting. M The predator now has all the information he needs to meet the child face to face. 11 Predator: w00t! he said k Child: wow realy? thx i cant bleve it. Predator: where do u live? Child: 2son,az u? (“Tucson, Arizona. What about you?”) Predator: phx, az uncle 2. ne malls near u? (“Phoenix, Arizona Uncle, too. Any malls near you?” Child: 2son mall. (Tucson mall) Predator: ive herd of that one. Saturday ok? Child: sounds good. Predator: b ther at 12 Child: k. meet at the game store. Predator: k! Child: well g2g. thx again dude (“Well, got to go. Thanks again, dude!”) Child: this is awesome! Child: TTYL! (“Talk to you later!”) Predator: l8r (“Later.”) A Child starts chat, expresses feelings that the predator can easily pick up on. B Predator begins “grooming” by expressing empathy to gain the child’s trust. C Child expresses trust in the person, encouraging the predator. D Further expression of empathy from predator. E Child’s frustration is evident to the predator who takes full advantage by portraying himself as a trusted confidant. F Predator offers a way to entice the child. G Of course, there is no “rich uncle.” The predator gives that impression to the child by waiting for a period of time before sending his next message. 4Here’s an example of an online chat and how it can move to the next level: 10 Child: my mom sux! its her falt that my parents are gettin divorced Predator: i no. my parents r2. Child: we never have $$ nemor (“We never have money anymore.”) Child: evry time i need sumtin she says the same thing “we cant aford it” Child: when my parents were 2gether i could buy stuff Child: now i cant Predator: me to. i hate dat. Child: i w8ed 6 mos for this game to come out (“I waited 6 months for this game to come out.”) Child: my mom promisd me wed get it. Child: can i get it now? nope. Child: we dont have enuf $$$. my mom sux! Predator: wow. dats tuf Predator: i hav a realy cool uncle Predator: buys me things all the time Predator: he has lots o $$$ Child: ur sooooo lucky! Predator: i got an idea. ill see if hell by it 4 u. Child: really? thx man! Predator: brb gonna call him (“Be right back. I’m going to call him.”) As a parent, you probably don’t know the latest online language. See how many of these common online acronyms you recognize: 1. ASL 2. POS 3. P911 4. BEG 5. FMTYEWTK 6. 121 7. KOL 8. MOTOS 9. WIBNI 10. LMIRL 11. SAW 12. TAW 13. WTGP A national survey showed that only between 4 and 8 percent of adults could correctly identify these acronyms. 9 8 7 The predator looks for clues about the child: what they like to do, the type of music they listen to, what they do for fun and how old they are. Much of this is often revealed by the child’s user name. A preda-tor pays close attention to what the youth is say-ing in a chat room or what they have written and posted online. The predator then asks to be included on the child’s instant messenger or chat room “buddy list” and can then tell every time the child is online. Anonymity online allows the predator to become a “friend.” In normal circum-stances, your child would probably never develop a relationship with a much older person. But online, that predator can claim to be just another teen because it’s so easy to lie online. Over time, the predator can develop a relationship with your child and build their trust. The predator will ask the child to keep their rela-tionship secret. Later the predator can use the secrecy as a weapon against the child - threatening to tell their par-ents or even harming the child if they try to end the rela-tionship. IN REAL LIFE, a predator must befriend the parents as well as the child, because they are the gatekeeper to the child. ONLINE, there is no gatekeeper. At some point, the predator will try to move the relation-ship to the next phase. The ultimate goal is to arrange a face-to-face meeting, frequent-ly for a sexual encounter. The consequences can be deadly. 6 Sexual Predator Travels from Albuquerque to Phoenix to meet 13 year old girl he met online A recent case prosecuted by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office resulted in the arrest and conviction of a 37 year old man from New Mexico who established contact with an under-cover detective posing as a 13 year old girl online. The sexual predator sent child pornography video clips to his intended victim and asked her to view them and practice the vari-ous provocative poses. The sexual predator set up a personal meeting with his intended victim at a Phoenix hotel promising a trip to a water park. When he arrived at the Phoenix hotel carrying a Pink Princess Tiara and Powder Puff Panties, gifts for his intended victim, the suspect was instead met by an AZ ICAC detective and arrested. Prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office were able to secure a guilty plea and 17 year prison term for this sexual offender. Yuma man arrested for luring a minor through Myspace.com In April 2007, prosecutors charged a 21 year old Yuma man with child molestation stemming from allegations that he had been preying on young girls through MySpace. One 14 year old girl was molested after being lured into an in-person meeting with the man. Police determined that he had also been communicating with several other young girls based on evidence from his MySpace page. 5 From the Case Files of AZ ICAC Solicitation by a Child Predator: How It Can Happen 4 “There are dangerous people out there surfing the Internet looking for children. Parents need to pay close attention to who their children are communicating with when they are online.” – Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard The Arizona Attorney General’s Office works closely with the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children (AZ ICAC) Task Force, which is a network of 50 Arizona law enforce-ment agencies whose mission is to apprehend and bring to justice sexual predators and Internet child pornographers. AZ ICAC is part of a network of regional ICAC Task Forces throughout the U.S. funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. AZ ICAC investigations focus primar-ily on the crimes of sexual exploi-tation of a minor (A.R.S. § 13-3553) and luring of minors for sexual exploitation (A.R.S. § 13-3554). Investigators also work cooperatively with the F.B.I., I.C.E., U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Secret Service in the enforcement of United States Code violations involving Internet crimes against children. Since 1998, detectives, special agents and prosecutors have recorded over 3,000 investigations resulting in over 290 arrests or indictments. Offenders have received over 600 years of incarceration. Most offend-ers also receive lifetime probation and must register as sex offenders. Investigations have crossed county, state and national borders. Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children (AZ ICAC) Task Force 3 The problem is serious >> 71% of teens ages 13-17 reported receiving messages online from some-one they did n’t know. When teens receive messages online from a stranger, 40% reported that they usu-ally reply and chat with that person, but only 18% said they tell an adult. >> 45% of teens have been asked for personal information by someone they don’t know. >> 30% of teens have considered meeting someone they have chatted with online and 14% have actually had such an encounter. Teenage Research Unlimited. Teen Internet Safety Survey. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Cox Communications, 2006. Cyberpredators are tough to spot. Who are cyberpredators? Not who you think. >> 99% are male >> Above average intelligence >> Above average incomes >> Have a successful career >> 91% are non-Hispanic white >> Have computer knowledge >> Many have children of their own >> Have no criminal history related to sex crimes >> 86% are older than 25 >> 1 in 7 teens has received unwanted sexual solicitations online. One third (31%) of these solicitations were aggressively seeking offline contact. Janis Wolak, Kimberly Mitchell and David Finkelhor. Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later (2006). Crimes against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire. Who do predators target? ANYBODY! ... Especially young people that are vulnerable. Specifically: >>> Kids living in single parent households >>> Kids with self-esteem problems >>> Kids that don’t communicate with parents >>> Kids whose babysitter is the computer How do they lure children? • It usually begins in a chat room. • A predator pays close attention to what the youth is saying - within 45 minutes they can usually find out where the child lives, goes to school, what they do for fun, what their real name is, and on and on. • The predator can easily move the chat from online to the phone and ultimately to a face-to-face meeting. The search for a potential victim usually begins in a chat room, but your child might catch the attention of a predator from information they have provided on their blog or profile on a social networking site like MySpace. 2 1 Description of the problem . . . 3 Case studies . . . . . . . 4 How predators work . . . . . 6 Online language and chat examples.. 9 Warning signs. . . . . . . 12 Online activities and their potential consequences . . . . 16 Cyberbullying. . . . . . . 18 Age appropriate guidelines . . . 20 How to talk to your teen about Internet Safety. . . . . . . 23 Tools for Parents. . . . . . 24 Tips for Parents . . . . . 29 Resources. . . . . . . Center Table of Contents You can find more information about Internet Safety on the Attorney General’s Web site at www.azag.gov Chat rooms that attract teens also attract predators. Special thanks Many individuals and groups helped make this Internet Safety publication possible. We want to especially acknowledge the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children (AZ ICAC) Task Force, The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and NetSmartz Workshop, the Arizona Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs, Common Sense Media and the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office. This project was supported with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Justice through a sub-grant from AZ ICAC, Phoenix Police Department. The material in this brochure is not copy-righted. Organizations are encouraged to reprint this booklet or excerpts and do not need to contact the Attorney General’s Office for permission. The Internet is a huge information source and a valuable tool for adults and children. But because of its anonymous nature, it creates opportunities for predators. IN REAL LIFE, a predator must befriend the parents as well as the child, because the parents are the gate-keeper to the child. ONLINE, there is no gatekeeper. The predator has direct access to your child. July 2008 Message from the Attorney General The Internet can be a terrific tool, providing access to a wealth of information and interactive learning experiences. But the Internet can also be dangerous. While social networking sites such as MySpace and Internet chat rooms allow young people to stay in touch, plan events and get the latest gossip, they can also lead to trouble. Many teens use these sites to post pictures and personal information. They use blogs as their personal diaries which the world can see. Unfortunately, sexual predators are lurking on the Internet. Even the smartest teens may not realize that everyone with Internet access, including predators, can see the pictures and personal information they post and use them for sinister purposes. Cyberbullying is another hazard on social networking sites. Kids no longer need muscles to bully and torment their peers. Some young people use Web sites, cell phones, instant messaging, chat rooms, blogs and other cyberspace options to harass, threaten and ridicule. What may start as a joke, once launched into cyberspace, can be very serious. The impact on the victim can be devastating and even tragic. The bully may have committed a crime, exposed their parents to liability and/or damaged their own prospects for college or a job. As parents, we must strengthen our efforts to shield our children from the dangerous side of the Internet. There are many things parents can do to protect their children and reduce online risks. I urge you to review both sections of this booklet and use it as a starting point to talk with your child about the Internet. Half is targeted to teens but may be appropriate for younger children as well. Please also visit www.azag.gov and my MySpace page at www.myspace.com/arizonaag for updated tips or to ask me a question about Internet safety. I am confident we can make online experiences safer and more productive. Be sure your teens “Surf Safe, Surf Smart”! Sincerely, Terry Goddard Arizona Attorney General If your school, church or community group would like a presentation on Internet Safety, please contact the Attorney General Community Services Program at 602.542.2123 (1.800.352.8431 outside Maricopa County) or communityservices@azag.gov. AZ Attorney General Terry Goddard how safe is your child from cyber-sharks ? Arizona Attorney General , s Office 1275 West Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 602.542.5025 400 West Congress South Building Suite 315 Tucson, Arizona 85701 520.628.6504 Outside the Phoenix or Tucson metro area 800.352.8431 www.azag.gov CU L8r
Object Description
TITLE | Internet Safety Guide for... |
CREATOR | Office of the Attorney General |
SUBJECT | Internet and teenagers--Safety measures--Guidebooks; Internet and youth--Safety measures--Guidebooks; Internet--Social aspects--Safety measures--Guidebooks; Substance abuse--Social aspects ǂx Safety measures--Guidebooks; |
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Education Society and culture |
DESCRIPTION | This title contains one or more publications |
Publisher | Office of the Attorney General |
Material Collection | State Documents |
Source Identifier | LAW 5.2:I 57 |
Location | o828028168 |
REPOSITORY | Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records |
Description
TITLE | Internet Safety Guide for Teens 2008 |
DESCRIPTION | 56 pages (PDF version). File size: 9506 KB |
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DATE ORIGINAL | 2008 |
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2000s (2000-2009) |
ORIGINAL FORMAT | Born Digital |
Source Identifier | LAW 5.2:I 57 T 33 |
Location | o828028841 |
DIGITAL IDENTIFIER | InternetSafety_TeensWeb2008.pdf |
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Full Text | AZ Attorney General Terry Goddard LMIRL Arizona Attorney General , s Office 1275 West Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 602.542.5025 400 West Congress South Building Suite 315 Tucson, Arizona 85701 520.628.6504 Outside the Phoenix or Tucson metro area 800.352.8431 www.azag.gov July 2008 Message from the Attorney General You may think there’s not much about the Internet that you don’t already know, and that might be true. But can you keep your not-so-wise friends and younger brothers and sisters safe while online? Have you told them that a chat room that attracts them also attracts predators that are looking for younger victims? Have you told them how to identify a cyber predator? Have you warned them about giving away personal information? While social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, and chat rooms allow young people to plan events and get the latest gossip, they can also lead to trouble. On my visits to Arizona schools to discuss Internet Safety, students admit they are often quick to add new names as “friends,” thus removing important security features and giving personal information to strangers. Cyberbullying is another hazard. Some young people use Web sites, cell phones, instant messaging, chat rooms and blogs to harass, threaten and ridicule. What may start as a joke, once launched into cyberspace, can be very serious, and it never goes away. The impact on the victim can be devastating and even tragic. The bully may find they have committed a crime, exposed their parents to liability and/or damaged their own prospects for college or a job. For more information on Internet safety, visit www.azag.gov. Please also visit my MySpace page at www.myspace.com/arizonaag for updated tips or to ask me a question about Internet safety. I hope you use this booklet to help keep your friends and brothers and sisters safe online. Terry Goddard Arizona Attorney General 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS What’s the problem?.......................................2 What you’re doing online..................................2 How predators work........................................3 Online activities and their potential consequences.......12 Cyberbullying............................................15 Cyber Safety Guidelines & Tips...........................16 Resources............................................Center What ’s the problem ? The Internet can be a great tool, fun to surf and totally entertaining. But remember, we live in a world where people sometimes take advantage of others, especially teens. It’s smart to be prepared. Anything on the Internet, whether it’s chat rooms or Web sites, that attracts you and your friends will also attract predators. >>> Read on. Many predators, who are searching for children and teens to rape, kidnap or harm, now use the Internet to find victims. Predators communicate through chat rooms and instant messaging seeking to develop relationships with young people. They want their trust. When a trust forms, they ask to meet somewhere to check out a movie, window shop or get something to eat. Typically, a predator does all this while posing as a young adult or teenager. Cyber predators are tough to spot. Who are cyber predators? Not who you think. >> They are likely to have above average intelligence and income >> They may have a successful career >> They may be married with children of their own >> They may have no criminal history or none related to sex crimes >> Most are male (99%), non-Hispanic, white (91%) and older than 26 (86%) >> They may be perceived as “the last person you would expect to be a predator” Janis Wolak, Kimberly Mitchell, and David Finkelhor, Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later (2006). Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire. How they lure yo ung people Predators use the anonymity of the Internet to talk to young people. They look for clues to figure out what you care about and even where you live. Too often, it’s easy because you have unknowingly provided your personal information. 2 Abercromshoper89. prisonerofhermione15. 1/ User names / Scren names While a user name or screen name seems like a pretty innocent thing, it can be a gold mine of information for a predator. Many people choose something familiar and easy to remember. You might think about your favorite bands, pets, hobbies and sports as part of a user name or screen name. But what information are you giving a predator to use? User name: This tells the predator that you like to shop, Abercrombie and Fitch is your favorite, and that you were born in 1989. User name: This tells the predator that you are a Harry Potter fan, you especially like the character Hermione Granger and you are likely 15. Armed with this information, a predator will talk to Abercromshoper89 about shopping and fashion while talking to prisonerofhermione15 about Harry Potter and magic. It may not seem important, but providing a predator with any personal information that helps him learn how to become a trusted friend is potentially dangerous. Z+ d P When choosing a user name or screen name, think of the game “MadLibs.” Try using one of the following formulas to select a user name: >>> Adjective + noun stuffed ninja >>> Size + animal minielephant >>> Season + noun summerteeth >>> Random number + ice cream flavor 45cookiedough >>> Actor’s name + action verb Travoltadancing A user name or screen name with a random selection of words such as “Soupshoe” is much better than a potentially descriptive identifier such as “Missy1981.” Make sure your user identifier doesn’t relate to you, your age, your school, your location or your interests. NOT your age, phone number or address 3 4 2/ Profiles Profiles can provide predators with a lot of useful informa-tion. Profiles ask for information like your real name, birthday, address, phone number, hobbies and what school you go to. Filling out this information is meant to be useful to other teens and young adults who are looking for people to chat with who are interested in the same things. The problem is that predators use personal information to gain your trust and find ways to manipulate you. Filling out profiles is not required to use most chat programs, and filling them out is a pain in the neck anyway. To protect yourself, fill out profiles only on sites that allow you to control who has access to the profile. 3/ What yo u say Some predators will do something called “cyberstalking” (and yes, it’s as scary as it sounds). A predator will go to a teen or young adult chat room and pick a user name to follow through chat rooms. The predator will slowly accumulate information about that user by simply reading what they are chatting about. Young adults and teens face many problems with peer pressure, parents, family members and friends. Chat rooms seem like the perfect place to gripe about all those people, but watch out for people too anxious to take your side. Often, predators will play on your emotions by saying they went through the same thing. 4/ Seling st uf By selling things online, you can always make a quick buck off that old Pokemon or Ninja Turtles collection you got for your birthday when you were six. But selling things can also provide dangerous information to predators. Sometimes, a seller will provide their telephone number so that people inter-ested can call and ask questions about the item; predators don’t always call. Instead they use your telephone number to track you down. Providing your phone number not only tells a predator what state you live in, it also can lead them to your house. 5 6 Their Techni ques Identifying a cyber predator is difficult because they sound like anyone else. Chatting online can be really fun and can be a quick way to make new friends, but it might not be the safest way. Predators have many techniques that they use to convince you that they are just like you, can relate to your problems, and would like to become your real friend instead of your online buddy. Giving you special stuff When an online buddy sends you sexually explicit material, whether you want it or not, it is smart to stop speaking to that buddy. Predators use this technique to scare or befriend you. Almost all of the time this material is unwanted, but if you continue to speak to this person, they will push you to do more than just look at inappropriate materi-al. Ending the conver-sation with this person will tell that predator that you are not inter-ested in what they have to offer. Pretending Predators will often disguise themselves as teenagers and young adults. Most often they will try to befriend you as a peer. These people can be very con-vincing and, without realizing it, you may befriend a predator. There really is no way to know who is your age and who is an adult. But being safe means end-ing communication with any online buddy if they begin to harass you. Remember, never give out personal informa-tion (not even an email address) and if anything mean or inappropriate happens, don’t be afraid to tell your parents. Threats If an online buddy begins to threaten you because you refuse to meet him or speak to him anymore, the best thing to do is tell your parents. Predators exploit any weaknesses they can find. A preda-tor’s objective is to make you do what he wants. Getting advice from your parents will help you make the right decision and will make sure you stay safe. 7 Cyberstalking Searching chat rooms or reading your blogs are easy ways for a predator to learn how to talk to you and earn your trust. By following you through chat rooms, a predator can gather information about you and make you feel comfortable enough to talk to them about anything, even reveal-ing secrets. Beware of someone who knows everything about your conversations or who is quick to say “the same thing happened to me.” Photographs Putting photographs online is becoming more and more popu-lar, especially with chat rooms, blogs and MySpace or Facebook. Unfortunately, there are a number of rea-sons why photographs are a problem: • Combining a photo-graph with personal information can make it extremely easy for a predator to find his way to your school or doorstep. • Photographs can be manipulated—your face put onto another person’s body in a sexually explicit photograph—and posted for anyone, including your parents, to see. • The bottom line is that you should never send photos of your-self to people online who you don’t know. And you should always be careful who you allow to have access to your photos on MySpace or Facebook. Email Sometimes you meet people who you really like online and you want to talk to them more than just in chat rooms. But be careful before you give out your email address or instant messaging screen name. Often your email has a profile that can be easily accessed by a predator. Emails are personal and are sometimes unsafe to give to online buddies. Limit the people who have your email address to friends and family. Don’t give it to people you meet in chat rooms and set your chat pro-file to not display your email address. 8 1 in 7 young people has received unwanted sexual solicitations online. One-third of these solicita-tions (31%) were aggressive and involved attempted, offline contact with youth. In more than one-quarter (27%) of incidents solicitors asked youth for sexual photographs of themselves. 1 in 3 young people has been exposed to sexually explicit materials online without seeking or expecting them. 1 in 11 young people has been threatened or harassed online. Janis Wolak, Kimberly Mitchell, and David Finkelhor, Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later (2006). Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire. 9 10 11 1. Chatting with strangers in a chat room It’s easy to lie online because a person’s identity can be easily disguised, so you never know who you are talking to. Giving out information to people online is just as dangerous as giving the same information to a stranger you meet on the street, maybe even more dangerous. 2. Using a webcam For a predator, a webcam is the next best thing to an in-person meeting. By allowing people to view your webcam, you are essentially opening the shades to your home or your bedroom and allowing a complete stranger to watch you through that window. Predators will use what they see to take advantage of you. They may record the video you send and post it for the world to see or simply wait and use it against you later. 3. Accepting webcam views from strangers By accepting an invitation to view live webcams from strangers, you could be exposed to unwanted nudity and sexu-ally explicit video which could be disturbing. Remember, that 16-year-old inviting you to see him is more likely to be around 50, overweight and hairy! 4. Arranging a face-to-face meeting with someone you’ve met online Since it is not possible to know who you are really talking to online, you may be unpleasantly surprised when you discover that person’s true identity. Predators arrange meetings with youth for the purposes of hurting, molesting, raping, kidnapping and even killing them. & their POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES ONLINE ACTIVITIES 12 13 5. Downloading pictures from an unknown source Downloading a picture may bring hidden viruses, which may destroy your computer, or place “cookies” that allow the sender to track where you go on the Internet, as well as key stroke trackers that may be used to steal your identity. 6. Filling out online profiles Filling out profiles will allow predators to see personal information about you, such as your real name, phone number, address, school name, etc., and will allow the predator to “find” you in real life. 7. Posting pictures of yourself on the Internet In addition to allowing anyone to get a look at you, digital photo manipulation can put your face on another body, in any graphic situation. When such a photo is in the possession of a predator, it can have devastating consequences. The predator might threaten to send the picture to your parents or spread it all over the Internet unless you do as he says. 8. Posting on blogs and social networking sites Because these popular online features are virtual diaries, they give online predators a more intimate look into your thoughts and feelings. By reading postings on a blog, a predator can get a greater insight into your vulnerabili-ties, likes and dislikes and can “tailor” his message to you. It may take a predator some time to learn about you, but the more information you place on blogs, podcasts and social networking sites, the easier you will make it for the predator. The next time you think you have met your online soulmate, consider that it is more likely that you have encountered a cyber predator. 9. Responding to postings that are belligerent or harassing These messages are often posted by the author simply to get a reaction. If you do respond, you may open yourself to harassment. V 14 15 Cyberb ulying …It’s Not a Joke Social networking sites, chat rooms, email and cell phones are a fun part of life. However, this way of communicating has also made it easier to spread rumors and be cruel to others. Because they are not saying some-thing to the other person’s face, kids often say things online that they later regret and would never say in real life. But it is important to keep in mind that once you post, there is no taking it back – even if you feel bad about it later. So before you send that hasty text message or cell phone photo spreading gossip or making fun of someone, consider this… • Cell phones and texts allow rumors to move quickly, before the real facts of a situation can be found out. You don’t want to be responsible for spreading something that is false – it can come back to bite you. • If you see something you think is funny but could be embar-rassing to someone else, con-sider how you would feel if you were on the other side before you whip out that cell phone camera. After all, everyone does embarrassing things some-times and it isn’t a good feel-ing to know that everyone at school is watching you with a cell phone camera just waiting for you to do something stupid. Think about the consequences of what you say, text or post. You never know what may be going on inside of another person and the effect that your words could have on them. Many kids have trans-ferred schools or even commit-ted suicide to escape harassment. Remember that it is always best to treat others as you would like to be treated, even online. If you see cyberbullying going on, you can do something about it. Report cruel postings and mocking photos to MySpace, or whatever site you are on, and they will remove it without revealing that you were the one to report it. You can also talk to your parents or school offi-cials about offensive postings. If the mean rumor or gossip is in an IM or text message or in a chat room, you can choose to delete the message…don’t forward it and don’t join in. 16 Available for download at w.azag.gov. • Remember that anyone can lie on the Internet. • Limit giving out information about yourself only to trusted friends or family. • Help catch predators. Contact local law enforcement or the CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com or 1.800.THE.LOST (1.800.843.5678). Report any of the following issues immediately. >>> Child pornography - do not print it or send it, but save it. >>> Sexually explicit pictures or streaming video - save the information. >>> Sexual solicitation - save the communication by copying and pasting into a text file. • Don’t stay in an uncomfortable or dangerous situation online. A bad situation could get worse if you ignore it. Talk to a parent or a trusted adult. • Share these guidelines with your friends and family. Cyber safety guidelines 17 RESOURCES Arizona Attorney General’s Office www.azag.gov Phoenix: 602.542.2123 Tucson: 520.628.6504 Outside the Phoenix or Tucson metro area: 800.352.8431 Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force www.azicac.org ChildhelpUSA www.childhelpusa.org 24 Hour Child Abuse Crisis Counseling 1.800.4ACHILD (1.800.422.4453) Common Sense Media www.commonsense.com Community Information and Referral www.cirs.org 602.263.8856 (800.352.3792 within area codes 520 and 928) GetNetWise www.getnetwise.org i-SAFE www.isafe.org Internet Fraud Complaint Center www.ic3.gov National Center for Missing & Exploited Children www.missing.org CyberTipline www.cybertipline.com or 1.800.THE.LOST (1.800.843.5678) NetSmartz Workshop www.netsmartz.org www.netsmartz411.org State of Arizona Department of Public Safety Sex Offender InfoCenter www.az.gov/webapp/offender /main.do Web Wise Kids www.webwisekids.org WiredSafety www.wiredsafety.org www.wiredkids.org www.teenangels.org www.stopcyberbullying.org The Attorney General’s Community Services Program includes Satellite Offices and the Fraud Fighter Van. Satellite Offices make it easier for residents to get information on consumer fraud and civil and victims’ rights issues in their own neighborhoods. Volunteers are available to make educational presentations to community groups and distribute materials at local events. Contact the Attorney General’s Office Community Services Program if you would like to schedule an Internet Safety presentation for your school, church or community group. Satellite Offices are located throughout Arizona. A complete list of locations and schedule of events are posted on the Community Services page of the Attorney General’s Web site. The Fraud Fighter Van is the newest tool to bring services and information to senior centers, libraries and neighborhoods. The Fraud Fighter Van is filled with information about identity theft, scam alerts, Internet safety and much more. For more information, contact: Community Services Program Arizona Attorney General’s Office 1275 West Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 602.542.2123 or 1.800.352.8431 communityservices@azag.gov Other Publications available from the Arizona Attorney General’s Office: • Identity Theft • Consumers’ Guide to Buying a Car • Life Care Planning • Predatory Lending • Top 10 Consumer Scams Phoenix Mesa Tucson Payson Prescott Flagstaff San Luis Tempe/ASU Sun City South Tucson Green Valley Lake Havasu City Sierra Vista Nogales Sedona Somerton Yuma Kingman Oro Valley Safford Tubac Wickenburg Winslow Apache Junction Florence Crime and Fraud Prevention Initiatives • Civil Rights: > Employment Discrimination > Housing Discrimination > Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation > Voting Discrimination Subscribe to the Attorney General’s consumer alerts and messages on current issues at www.azag.gov. 29 Internet Survival Tips for Parents and Teachers 1. Be aware and involved. 2. Do your homework. 3. Talk to your kids. 4. Teach safety. 5. Set rules. 6. Report suspicious activity. 7. Help kids view online information with a critical eye. 8. View your own online habits with a critical eye. 9. Make sure you keep channels of communication open. 10. Embrace their world. Remember, the Internet is here to stay. It’s our job to help our kids be Internet safe and smart. www.commonsensemedia.com 28 Parents, guardians, educators and law enforcement also have access to resources, including NetSmartz411, for learning and teaching about the dangers children may face online. NetSmartz focuses on three basic rules for Internet Safety. The games and activities are designed to give children of various age groups a better understanding of the risks they could encounter online. With that understanding, they may be more receptive when you com-municate your desire to protect them by setting up rules for Internet use. i-SAFE (www.isafe.org) i-SAFE offers a K-12 curriculum and community outreach programs to parents, law enforcement and community leaders. A number of i-SAFE programs give students and parents opportunities to get involved in their schools and communities by teaching and promoting Internet Safety. Common Sense Media (www.commonsense.com) Common Sense Media, a leading children and media organization, has released a new guide, “Keeping Your Kids Internet Safe and Smart.” The guide describes chal-lenges faced by parents online and tips for both kids and parents. It also includes helpful information on Internet gaming, downloading and social networking. Web Wise Kids (www.webwisekids.org) Web Wise Kids offers fun, chal-lenging and interactive simulations for kids based on real-life criminal cases. The program also provides a special learning program sponsored in part by the US Department of Justice and designed just for parents. By addressing issues like piracy, fraud, online romances, bullying, social networking, blogging, cyber stalking, online predators, identity theft and more, Web Wise Kids helps prepare young people to be their own first line of defense so they can safely explore the best that the Internet has to offer. INTERNET SAFETY EDUCATION Many good resources are available at no cost to teach kids and parents about Internet Safety through Web sites, school cur-riculums or law enforcement agen-cies. Here are a few examples: The Arizona Attorney General’s Internet Safety Initiative Attorney General Terry Goddard launched a major Internet Safety Initiative to ensure aggressive prosecution of Internet crimes against children and teamed up with the NetSmartz Workshop® and the Arizona Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs to provide Internet Safety education to Arizona children. Information on Internet Safety, including this Guide, Internet Safety DVD, Internet Safety Tips and Kids Page, are available on the Arizona Attorney General’s Web site (www.azag.gov). Kids who successfully complete the NetSmartz Internet Safety Quiz on the Attorney General’s Kids Page will get an official Web License. NetSmartz Workshop (www.NetSmartz.org) NetSmartz combines the newest technolo-gies with the most current informa-tion to create high-impact educational activities that are well received by even the most tech-savvy kids. 27 • Allowing only approved addresses to email your child • Filtering Web sites • Filtering searches or allowing your child to use child-safe search engines • Recording instant message conversations or chat room conversations • Notifying you when your child tries to access an inappropriate Web site • Limiting the time your child spends online • Operates in the background without your child’s knowledge • Allowing third-party rating of Web sites • Recording every key stroke your child makes • Recording and sending you pictures of your child’s computer screen as they are using it Not all of these options are included in each software program. Each program is different. Compare and find the program that suits your needs. Filtered ISPs Most Internet Service Providers, such as AOL, Comcast, MSN and Qwest, can provide you with some filtering and blocking tools to help protect your child online. Contact them for more information. 26 for multiple user profiles to be set up. Every person who uses a computer can have their own user name and password. To gain access to the computer, the user name and password are required. This allows you to set up different levels of access for each of the differ-ent users and also makes it easier to track and find out what each of the users are doing on the computer. To get more information about setting up user profiles, consult your computer’s help files. Web Browser Controls Most Web browsers have a way to filter and block inappro-priate Web sites from being accessed. Web browser settings can be used in conjunction with user profiles to fine tune the level of access different users have on the Internet. By fine tuning these controls, you can customize the type of content that each user can access. For more information on using these settings, consult your browser’s help files. Viewing Internet History / Temporary Internet Files To track your child’s online activity, you can use the Internet History and Temporary Internet Files to see what Web sites have been accessed recently. More savvy computer users can delete this infor-mation from easy access, but it is still typically acces-sible by a computer expert. For more information about viewing Internet history and temporary Internet files, consult your browser’s help files. Software There are many software pro-grams available for purchase that help make the Internet safer for your children. Some of the options these programs can give you include: • Blocking chat rooms and/or instant messaging • Blocking downloads • Disabling links in chat rooms 25 What to do if your child becomes a victim If your child has received a sexual solicitation online, immediately contact the CyberTipline at www.cyber-tipline. com or 1.800.THE. LOST (1.800.843.5678). The CyberTipline is part of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which coordi-nates the efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate Internet crimes against children. If you suspect a face-to-face meeting has been arranged, contact your local law enforcement imme-diately to request assistance. If you or your child has received child pornography, save but do not print the images and call law enforcement immediately. DO NOT EMAIL or PRINT THE PHOTOGRAPHS! If you do, you may be committing a crime. Internet Safety Tools for Parents There are a number of tools parents can use to protect their children from Internet dangers. Although none of them are fool-proof, they can help. Here are a few: • Computer Placement • User Profiles • Web Browser Controls • Viewing Internet History • Filtering/Blocking/Monitoring Software • Filtered ISPs Computer Placement Keep the computer in a common area of your home when you can. It’s easiest to monitor what your children are doing without having to pry if the computer is in an open area, such as the living room or kitchen. Don’t place the computer in a room where your child can close the door and go online. User Profiles Newer versions of Windows and Apple’s operating software allow 24 How to talk to your teenager about Internet safety • Your teenager is gaining independence and struggling to get away from parental control. Protect them without alienating them by letting them have some independence while still providing parental guidance. Be involved with what they are doing on the Internet without invading their privacy. Make sure they still feel comfortable talking to you about what they do on the Net. • Don’t talk down to your teen. Instead, show your teen that you trust them to make good decisions. Encourage them to protect themselves from online preda-tors by being vigilant and cautious. • Set reasonable expectations. You can’t expect a teenager to completely avoid chat rooms, but you can expect them to not give a stranger their personal information. • Remember what it was like to be their age. If you find they are doing some-thing online you find inappropriate, choose a punishment carefully and remember that teenagers are going through a difficult and exciting time of change and new discoveries. • Be supportive! Visit sites with your children. Let them know what you consider inappropriate. Learn about the Internet. Don’t put your head in the sand. Study. Some helpful sites for parents are: iSafe (www.isafe.org) NetSmartz Workshop (www.NetSmartz.org) Common Sense Media (www.commonsense.com) Install filtering software onto your computers. These Web sites can direct you to the right software that’s best for you: www.getnetwise.org/tools/ or www.filterreview.com. If you think your child might be engaged in dangerous activity on the Internet, you can check the computer’s Internet history to see the Web sites that have recently been visited. You can also take the computer into a computer services store. They can provide a full diagnostic evaluation to tell you exactly where your computer has been online and the types of activities that have taken place using your computer. Search for your child’s name on MySpace and by using search engines like Google or Yahoo! You may find a profile or Web page your child posted or a page or comments about your child posted by someone else. 23 22 21 Age appropriate guidelines It’s important to remember that rules and guidelines you establish for young kids, preteens and teens will most likely be very different. Teenagers are especially protective of their privacy and are the least willing to share what they are doing online. They will probably tell you that they don’t want to be treated like a child. Keep this in mind when you create age appropriate Internet usage rules for your kids. Here are some general guidelines to impress upon your kids, although some of them apply more to teenagers. • Be extremely skeptical about what you read on the Internet, especially from someone in a chat rom. It is extremely easy to lie online and a predator will tell you as many lies as possible to gain your trust. • Be very careful about what infor-mation you give someone online, especially personal information that can be used to find you. • DO NOT met someone in person that you met online. Once your teenager has gotten their driver’s license or if they use public transportation, it can be very difficult for you to prevent this from happening. You might want to emphasize how dangerous it is to meet someone you don’t know ALONE. If they cannot be talked out of meeting someone from the Internet, they should at least bring a friend and meet in a public place. • Do not download files a stranger has sent you. They can contain inappropriate material or computer viruses. • Do not view the webcam of a stranger. • Be smart about what information you put in your online profile or blog. Don’t include any information that could be used to locate you. Remember to make your blog entries private or for friends only. 20 > If a cyberbully has posted embarrassing photos or personal information about your child on a Web site, contact your Internet Service Provider for assistance, the Web site host-ing the page, and if necessary, inform local law enforcement to try to get the Web site removed. > If the bully is a fellow student, notify the school and request assistance from the administra-tion and School Resource Officer. If there are threats or harassment, notify law enforcement. 19 18 Cyberbulying Kids no longer need muscles to bully and torment their peers. The Internet now makes it possible for bullies to torment their victims in their homes at any time of day. Cyberbullies may use chat rooms, email, instant messaging, cell phones and Web sites to embarrass, threaten or intimidate a child. Technology allows them to share gossip, spread lies or distribute embarrassing pictures to a wide audience while maintaining some anonymity. What may start as a joke, once launched into cyberspace can be very serious. The impact on the victim can be devastating and even tragic. The bully may be committing a crime, exposing their parents to liability and/or damaging their own prospects for college or a job. Not surprisingly, one in every 11 kids reported being threatened or harassed while using the Internet. Janis Wolak, Kimberly Mitchell, and David Finkelhor. Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later (2006), Crimes Against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire. Tips to protect your child against cyberbullying Let kids know what online behavior you find unaccept-able. Look for signs that your child might be a cyberbullying victim; these could include nightmares, school avoidance or sudden interest in or avoidance of the computer. Block messages from bullies and save evidence that may help identify a bully. > If your child continues to receive harassing emails, have them delete their current accounts and help them open a new one. > Save the evidence in case you need proof. 6. Chatting with strangers in a chat room It’s easy to lie online. Seemingly innocent conversa-tions can have harmful ulterior motives. Don’t believe every-thing someone tells you in a chat room. 7. Using a webcam For a predator, a webcam is the next best thing to an in-person meeting. By allowing people to view a webcam, your child is essentially opening the shades to your home and allowing a complete stranger to watch them through that window. Predators will use what they see to take advantage of your child. They may record the video your child sends and post it for the world to see or simply wait and use it against your child later. 8. Accepting webcam views from strangers By accepting an invitation to view live webcams from strangers, your child could be exposed to nudity and sexually explicit material. Ask your child never to accept an invitation to view a webcam or click on a link in a chat room. 9. Arranging a face-to- face meeting with someone met online Your child could be hurt, molested, raped, kidnapped or worse during a face-to-face encounter. 17 ONLINE ACTIVITIES and their POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES 1. Filling out online profiles Filling out profiles will allow predators to see personal information about your child, such as their real name, phone number, address, school name, etc. and will allow the predator to “find” your child in real life. 2. Downloading pictures from an unknown source Downloading a picture may bring hidden viruses, which may destroy your computer, or place “cookies” that allow the sender to track where you or your child goes on the Internet, as well as key stroke trackers that may be used to steal your child’s identity. 3. Responding to postings that are belligerent or harassing These messages are often posted by the author simply to see who will respond and to get a conversa-tion going. 4. Posting pictures on the Internet In addition to allowing anyone to get a look at your child, digital photo manipulation could put your child’s face on another body, which could be spread all over the Internet, or your child could be blackmailed into sending more photos. 5. Posting on blogs and social networking sites MySpace and other social networking sites are wildly popular among young people and new territory for law enforcement, schools and parents. Teens are often quick to add new names as “friends,” thus remov-ing important security features and divulging personal information to strangers. There are over 200 million subscribers to MySpace, and that number grows every day. Among these millions are many who will paint a false picture of themselves to get close to young people and try to arrange a face-to-face meeting. By reading postings on a child’s blog, a predator can get insight into a child’s vulnerabilities, likes and dislikes and can “tailor” his message to target that child. 16 6. Your child receives mail/gifts/packages from senders you don’t know Track the package, research who it is from. Use the same tools the predators use to get information, such as reverse address directory searches, telephone directory searches, email address searches, Google searches etc. Once the relation-ship reaches this level, it’s time to intervene. A face-to-face meeting with your child may be in the planning stages. To report a cyberpredator, immedi-ately contact the CyberTipline at www.cybertipline.com or 1.800. THE.LOST (1.800.843.5678). The CyberTipline is part of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which coordi-nates the efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to investigate Internet crimes against children. If you suspect a face-to-face meeting has been arranged, also contact your local law enforcement immediately to request assistance. What can you do to keep your children safe in cyberspace? First and foremost, talk to your children openly and frankly. Be available to answer questions and concerns. Let them know about Internet dangers, including identity theft, exposure to sexually explicit or violent material and sexual predators. Make it safe for them to come to you with concerns about people they’ve met online, when an inappropriate pop up appears or someone sends them inappropriate materials and if someone harasses or threatens them online. Let them know that on the Internet, people can pretend to be anyone. And their intentions are often not good. Use separate user profiles, content filtering software and/or ISP filters, Web browser controls and/or your Web browser’s Internet history to monitor what your child is doing on the Internet. See the section on Tools (p. 24) for more information. 15 14 13 “Most children do not inform their parents when they face a difficult situation online, such as being contacted by someone they don’t know. The main reasons for their hesitation are embarrassment and fear of losing access to the Internet.” Assistant Attorney General Gail Thackeray Warning Signs that Your Child Might Become a Victim and What To Do About It 1. Your child becomes withdrawn from the family, isolates themself more often Talk to your child, and their teachers, consider counseling. 2. Your child is spending more time online Ask what they are doing that is causing them to spend so much time online. Research for school? Chats? Downloading? Games? Use your Web browser’s “Internet History” to view the Web sites that have been visited. 3. Your child turns off the screen when you walk in the room What does your child not want you to see? Are they ashamed of something? Talk to them about their online activity. Be aware, though, that prying too much could foster paranoia and lead to more secretive behavior and further isolation. 4. You find pornography on the computer If it’s adult porn, talk to your child. If it’s child pornography, save the images but do not print them, and contact the authorities immediately. 5. Your phone bill has calls to unknown numbers There are a number of tools available online to search telephone numbers. Do a reverse phone direc-tory search online to find out whose number it is. The reverse number search will give you a name and an address for the telephone number. 12 H Predator expresses excitement, tells the child the “uncle” will buy the game. I Predator starts asking for clues about the child, begins scheming to find out where the child is to arrange a face-to-face meeting. J The predator will place himself in close proximity to the child, regardless of his actual location. K Child has actually just determined the final meeting place without realizing the danger he/she is in because of the misplaced trust in the new “friend.” L Predator finalizes the meeting. M The predator now has all the information he needs to meet the child face to face. 11 Predator: w00t! he said k Child: wow realy? thx i cant bleve it. Predator: where do u live? Child: 2son,az u? (“Tucson, Arizona. What about you?”) Predator: phx, az uncle 2. ne malls near u? (“Phoenix, Arizona Uncle, too. Any malls near you?” Child: 2son mall. (Tucson mall) Predator: ive herd of that one. Saturday ok? Child: sounds good. Predator: b ther at 12 Child: k. meet at the game store. Predator: k! Child: well g2g. thx again dude (“Well, got to go. Thanks again, dude!”) Child: this is awesome! Child: TTYL! (“Talk to you later!”) Predator: l8r (“Later.”) A Child starts chat, expresses feelings that the predator can easily pick up on. B Predator begins “grooming” by expressing empathy to gain the child’s trust. C Child expresses trust in the person, encouraging the predator. D Further expression of empathy from predator. E Child’s frustration is evident to the predator who takes full advantage by portraying himself as a trusted confidant. F Predator offers a way to entice the child. G Of course, there is no “rich uncle.” The predator gives that impression to the child by waiting for a period of time before sending his next message. 4Here’s an example of an online chat and how it can move to the next level: 10 Child: my mom sux! its her falt that my parents are gettin divorced Predator: i no. my parents r2. Child: we never have $$ nemor (“We never have money anymore.”) Child: evry time i need sumtin she says the same thing “we cant aford it” Child: when my parents were 2gether i could buy stuff Child: now i cant Predator: me to. i hate dat. Child: i w8ed 6 mos for this game to come out (“I waited 6 months for this game to come out.”) Child: my mom promisd me wed get it. Child: can i get it now? nope. Child: we dont have enuf $$$. my mom sux! Predator: wow. dats tuf Predator: i hav a realy cool uncle Predator: buys me things all the time Predator: he has lots o $$$ Child: ur sooooo lucky! Predator: i got an idea. ill see if hell by it 4 u. Child: really? thx man! Predator: brb gonna call him (“Be right back. I’m going to call him.”) As a parent, you probably don’t know the latest online language. See how many of these common online acronyms you recognize: 1. ASL 2. POS 3. P911 4. BEG 5. FMTYEWTK 6. 121 7. KOL 8. MOTOS 9. WIBNI 10. LMIRL 11. SAW 12. TAW 13. WTGP A national survey showed that only between 4 and 8 percent of adults could correctly identify these acronyms. 9 8 7 The predator looks for clues about the child: what they like to do, the type of music they listen to, what they do for fun and how old they are. Much of this is often revealed by the child’s user name. A preda-tor pays close attention to what the youth is say-ing in a chat room or what they have written and posted online. The predator then asks to be included on the child’s instant messenger or chat room “buddy list” and can then tell every time the child is online. Anonymity online allows the predator to become a “friend.” In normal circum-stances, your child would probably never develop a relationship with a much older person. But online, that predator can claim to be just another teen because it’s so easy to lie online. Over time, the predator can develop a relationship with your child and build their trust. The predator will ask the child to keep their rela-tionship secret. Later the predator can use the secrecy as a weapon against the child - threatening to tell their par-ents or even harming the child if they try to end the rela-tionship. IN REAL LIFE, a predator must befriend the parents as well as the child, because they are the gatekeeper to the child. ONLINE, there is no gatekeeper. At some point, the predator will try to move the relation-ship to the next phase. The ultimate goal is to arrange a face-to-face meeting, frequent-ly for a sexual encounter. The consequences can be deadly. 6 Sexual Predator Travels from Albuquerque to Phoenix to meet 13 year old girl he met online A recent case prosecuted by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office resulted in the arrest and conviction of a 37 year old man from New Mexico who established contact with an under-cover detective posing as a 13 year old girl online. The sexual predator sent child pornography video clips to his intended victim and asked her to view them and practice the vari-ous provocative poses. The sexual predator set up a personal meeting with his intended victim at a Phoenix hotel promising a trip to a water park. When he arrived at the Phoenix hotel carrying a Pink Princess Tiara and Powder Puff Panties, gifts for his intended victim, the suspect was instead met by an AZ ICAC detective and arrested. Prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office were able to secure a guilty plea and 17 year prison term for this sexual offender. Yuma man arrested for luring a minor through Myspace.com In April 2007, prosecutors charged a 21 year old Yuma man with child molestation stemming from allegations that he had been preying on young girls through MySpace. One 14 year old girl was molested after being lured into an in-person meeting with the man. Police determined that he had also been communicating with several other young girls based on evidence from his MySpace page. 5 From the Case Files of AZ ICAC Solicitation by a Child Predator: How It Can Happen 4 “There are dangerous people out there surfing the Internet looking for children. Parents need to pay close attention to who their children are communicating with when they are online.” – Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard The Arizona Attorney General’s Office works closely with the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children (AZ ICAC) Task Force, which is a network of 50 Arizona law enforce-ment agencies whose mission is to apprehend and bring to justice sexual predators and Internet child pornographers. AZ ICAC is part of a network of regional ICAC Task Forces throughout the U.S. funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. AZ ICAC investigations focus primar-ily on the crimes of sexual exploi-tation of a minor (A.R.S. § 13-3553) and luring of minors for sexual exploitation (A.R.S. § 13-3554). Investigators also work cooperatively with the F.B.I., I.C.E., U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Secret Service in the enforcement of United States Code violations involving Internet crimes against children. Since 1998, detectives, special agents and prosecutors have recorded over 3,000 investigations resulting in over 290 arrests or indictments. Offenders have received over 600 years of incarceration. Most offend-ers also receive lifetime probation and must register as sex offenders. Investigations have crossed county, state and national borders. Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children (AZ ICAC) Task Force 3 The problem is serious >> 71% of teens ages 13-17 reported receiving messages online from some-one they did n’t know. When teens receive messages online from a stranger, 40% reported that they usu-ally reply and chat with that person, but only 18% said they tell an adult. >> 45% of teens have been asked for personal information by someone they don’t know. >> 30% of teens have considered meeting someone they have chatted with online and 14% have actually had such an encounter. Teenage Research Unlimited. Teen Internet Safety Survey. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Cox Communications, 2006. Cyberpredators are tough to spot. Who are cyberpredators? Not who you think. >> 99% are male >> Above average intelligence >> Above average incomes >> Have a successful career >> 91% are non-Hispanic white >> Have computer knowledge >> Many have children of their own >> Have no criminal history related to sex crimes >> 86% are older than 25 >> 1 in 7 teens has received unwanted sexual solicitations online. One third (31%) of these solicitations were aggressively seeking offline contact. Janis Wolak, Kimberly Mitchell and David Finkelhor. Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later (2006). Crimes against Children Research Center, University of New Hampshire. Who do predators target? ANYBODY! ... Especially young people that are vulnerable. Specifically: >>> Kids living in single parent households >>> Kids with self-esteem problems >>> Kids that don’t communicate with parents >>> Kids whose babysitter is the computer How do they lure children? • It usually begins in a chat room. • A predator pays close attention to what the youth is saying - within 45 minutes they can usually find out where the child lives, goes to school, what they do for fun, what their real name is, and on and on. • The predator can easily move the chat from online to the phone and ultimately to a face-to-face meeting. The search for a potential victim usually begins in a chat room, but your child might catch the attention of a predator from information they have provided on their blog or profile on a social networking site like MySpace. 2 1 Description of the problem . . . 3 Case studies . . . . . . . 4 How predators work . . . . . 6 Online language and chat examples.. 9 Warning signs. . . . . . . 12 Online activities and their potential consequences . . . . 16 Cyberbullying. . . . . . . 18 Age appropriate guidelines . . . 20 How to talk to your teen about Internet Safety. . . . . . . 23 Tools for Parents. . . . . . 24 Tips for Parents . . . . . 29 Resources. . . . . . . Center Table of Contents You can find more information about Internet Safety on the Attorney General’s Web site at www.azag.gov Chat rooms that attract teens also attract predators. Special thanks Many individuals and groups helped make this Internet Safety publication possible. We want to especially acknowledge the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children (AZ ICAC) Task Force, The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and NetSmartz Workshop, the Arizona Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs, Common Sense Media and the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office. This project was supported with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Justice through a sub-grant from AZ ICAC, Phoenix Police Department. The material in this brochure is not copy-righted. Organizations are encouraged to reprint this booklet or excerpts and do not need to contact the Attorney General’s Office for permission. The Internet is a huge information source and a valuable tool for adults and children. But because of its anonymous nature, it creates opportunities for predators. IN REAL LIFE, a predator must befriend the parents as well as the child, because the parents are the gate-keeper to the child. ONLINE, there is no gatekeeper. The predator has direct access to your child. July 2008 Message from the Attorney General The Internet can be a terrific tool, providing access to a wealth of information and interactive learning experiences. But the Internet can also be dangerous. While social networking sites such as MySpace and Internet chat rooms allow young people to stay in touch, plan events and get the latest gossip, they can also lead to trouble. Many teens use these sites to post pictures and personal information. They use blogs as their personal diaries which the world can see. Unfortunately, sexual predators are lurking on the Internet. Even the smartest teens may not realize that everyone with Internet access, including predators, can see the pictures and personal information they post and use them for sinister purposes. Cyberbullying is another hazard on social networking sites. Kids no longer need muscles to bully and torment their peers. Some young people use Web sites, cell phones, instant messaging, chat rooms, blogs and other cyberspace options to harass, threaten and ridicule. What may start as a joke, once launched into cyberspace, can be very serious. The impact on the victim can be devastating and even tragic. The bully may have committed a crime, exposed their parents to liability and/or damaged their own prospects for college or a job. As parents, we must strengthen our efforts to shield our children from the dangerous side of the Internet. There are many things parents can do to protect their children and reduce online risks. I urge you to review both sections of this booklet and use it as a starting point to talk with your child about the Internet. Half is targeted to teens but may be appropriate for younger children as well. Please also visit www.azag.gov and my MySpace page at www.myspace.com/arizonaag for updated tips or to ask me a question about Internet safety. I am confident we can make online experiences safer and more productive. Be sure your teens “Surf Safe, Surf Smart”! Sincerely, Terry Goddard Arizona Attorney General If your school, church or community group would like a presentation on Internet Safety, please contact the Attorney General Community Services Program at 602.542.2123 (1.800.352.8431 outside Maricopa County) or communityservices@azag.gov. AZ Attorney General Terry Goddard how safe is your child from cyber-sharks ? Arizona Attorney General , s Office 1275 West Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 602.542.5025 400 West Congress South Building Suite 315 Tucson, Arizona 85701 520.628.6504 Outside the Phoenix or Tucson metro area 800.352.8431 www.azag.gov CU L8r |