Comments on: Keeping kids safe on social sites

special feature CNET News.com answers some common questions about social networks and blog safety.

[Penguinisto]

One word: Firewall.

Get an external firewall. Most competent ones, even Netgear, have the ability to block sites by name, and while this won't stop a kid who discovers the ability to use a public proxy, it'll keep the younger ones honest.

You can build a whitelist of sites where the child can be restricted.

Or, you can use the one most effective measure of all - just make it a point to be in the room when the child is online, and don't let your kid keep a networked computer in his or her bedroom.

No need to waste an entire article on such simple stuff, is there?

[techguy83]

unfortunately there is

Because parents won't follow such simple advice. They won't even stay in the room to watch their child's online acts.

They expect the govt to fix this problem for them.

A bunch of idiots is what they are.

[dherman101]

firewalls and disconnect

Nice explanation of setting up firewalls and security for MySpace
and other troublesome sites. I wonder how many parents could
actually do that? I'm thinking most kids probably do the tech
setup at home and they are probably the ones that configure the
router.

The issue of MySpace and other social networking sites is a
complex one. There is the issue of age.....what a kid can handle
at age 6 is different than at age 12. And don't forget maturity
levels for each individual kid. And don't forget social needs kids
have - much different than adults.

We're living in a world where people can communicate and
socialize instantaneously, can purchase products online, post
their own opinions, etc. etc. Simply putting up a firewall or
disconnecting the Internet from the child's bedroom is too
simplistic an answer to a complex problem.

As usual, the answer is a combination of technical and social.
Yes there are technical solutions but these can't infringe on
freedoms (this is dependent on age). Training and education is
an important component as well.

In some ways, the evolution of technology has far exceeded our
social evolution. As a result, technology has provided us the
means to do many things that socially we don't know how to
deal with - yet.

[arzynik]

Re: Firewall

A firewall is not going to stop anything. Where there is a will, there is a way, and on the Internet, there is always information to get your way. Firewalls will not do anything but upset kids. The objective isn't to stop kids from using social networking sites, its to make these sites safe for them.

Myspace.com put in place rules that stop anyone under 18 from befriending anyone over 18. They also have given the option of making profiles private, and all profiles of users under 18 private. This is how these sort of things are solved. Not a firewall.

You could very well throw this argument into the same category as firearms. Its not the sns sites that are harming the children, it is the lack of responsibility and knowledge about them that causes problems. Educate them on why they need to do what you want them to.

[Nkully86]

Social Network or Social Headache?

It is too bad that a network designed for people to meet other people in a friendly/romantic way has turned into such a scary place.

The only thing that parents can do is to monitor their children's usage of the network. This is difficult because teenagers make myspace profiles do their own thing and the last thing they want is to have their content closely monitored by their parents.

Myspace's next solution should be to find a way to verify member's true ages so their new standards (nobody under 13 can sign up, nobody over 18 can contact a minor etc) will actually work. Until then, parents will continue to lose sleep over who their children are actually communicating with over this dangerous network.
http://www.techknowbizzle.com/2006/07/myspace-social-network-or-social.html

[colecolby]

Natural Selection

I am sick an tired of this "what about the children" nonsense. I can only quote George Carlin when I say "f**k the children!"

I am sorry, I know that this might sound brutal and harsh, but does anybody actually look at these issues rationally? How many changes do we need to make to "protect the children" and where does it end?

Children need to be taught that there are dangers out there and that they need to behave in certain ways to avoid them. Period. After that there needs to be something like natural selection. You don't see many children touching a hot stove twice, right? Yes, you may say that a confrontation with a homicidal sexual predator rarely gives you a second chance (like a stove would), but then, that is where parental education, the child's intelligence and common sense should come into play.

I think this demand to childproof this and to pad that and to re-code yadda and to always check something else just to "protect the children" is simply one thing: A refusal of parents to recognize the responsibility for their own child. It is so easy to expect everybody else to protect your child while you are out working two jobs just to pay for your McMansion and you 9 miles per gallon SUV fleet which you only own to impress the neighbors.

Stop consuming, stop shifting responsibility for your child's safety to others (like web site operators). You are the parent, you are in control. And if you are not, then it is YOU who is doing something wrong, not the web site operator.

[inouyde]

MyChild? MyResponsibility

I agree with Colecolby that it's up to me to make sure my child is not a future Darwin Award winner.

It's like anything else in parenting. These are the safety rules, these are the reasons for the safety rules. Follow the rules, everything's cool. Break the rules, privileges removed. I'm not the best father in the world, but, geez, even I can handle that responsibility.

[TexLendy]

Yes or No

I have Grandchildren and they were using my computer. I found they were getting on MySpace. There ages range from 12 to 8. I was informed of a program called SpectraPro. It keeps track of everything wrote etc. By using that I found that they were talking via phone. Giving out there cell numbers etc. Yes I had taught them all about preditors. But they still did it. I took away there privilages of use of computer and cell phone. Now I am not sure what I should do.

[davide1982]

Thanks, very interesting ! I'd also recommend the following article as a summary of social network's impact on children:

http://www.myhowtoos.com/en/red-hot/49-are-social-networks-good-for-our-children