The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Not long ago, a teenage girl living in Tokyo, Japan was wondering why her neighbours were looking at her strangely as she walked through her neighbourhood. She also noticed that there seemed to be a lot more car traffic around her house. Her friends at school were treating her strangely and soon began avoiding her. A bit of investigation on the girl's part allowed her to solve the mystery. A boyfriend, whom she had recently broken up with, had posted her name, her telephone number, her home address, and her picture on a number of pornographic websites. Her cell phone constantly rang and her life was in a shambles. Unfortunately, this young girl felt there was no way out of this situation, and tragically, she took her own life. Tragedies like this one, involving children and computers, are becoming almost commonplace in our society. Recent research shows that over 70% of Canadian teens are online at least once a week; most often unsupervised by adults. Most teenagers have private email addresses of their own, and most parents say they are unaware of where their kids go when they are on the Internet. Yet most kids have not been taught any basic forms of keeping themselves, their information, and their families safe when they are online. Parents would do well to teach their kids a few basic Internet rules: 1.) Passwords are meant to be secret Ð This sounds basic, but it's very true. Kids have to be taught that various types of passwords, including those to their email accounts should not be given out, even to their best friends. 2.) Family and personal information is secret Ð There are many stories about kids being coerced to give out their parents' Visa numbers, bank account PIN numbers, or other personal information, destroying family finances. Children should to be taught to never give out information about their homes, their family, school, or even their real name online. 3.) Never agree to meet anyone you have met online unless you are with an adult Ð Approximately 1,600 North American kids go missing every year after going to meet someone they have previously met only online. Terrible stories circulate about adults posing as kids in chat rooms and convincing real kids to run away from home to meet them. Many of these stories are true. Kids cannot travel to meet someone without telling an adult or taking one with them. 4.) Finally, kids have to be taught to handle websites and email properly. Viruses, spyware, tons of spam, etc. are all the result of sloppy and careless habits online. Teach kids to tell reality from fiction online, and teach them how to protect your family's computer. There are a number of good resources online that parents can look into if they want further information about these topics. The government of Canada has a great information site about keeping kids safe online. As well, the Media Awareness Institute is a Canadian site with a lot of games online to teach kids basic Internet rules. Be Webaware is the name of their education campaign and it is well worth looking into. Take the time to teach your kids how to use the Internet, their email addresses, and Instant Messaging tools properly and safely. A few hours of your time, will get them on track for a safe life online.
