Linked, at risk and online - Social networking newest trend for young people
Media release
Internet Safety Group
1 June 2006
Recent Nielsen Net-ratings indicate that social networking sites have grown 47% year on year, reaching 45% of all web users. Approximately 5% of all website visits by New Zealanders are to social networking sites and yet most of us have never heard of sites like bebo.com, uncyclopedia.com or yearbook.com.
Social networking sites are the new meeting places for young people today. They go there to connect with 'friends', discuss issues relevant to their lives and experiment with online identities.
Like any large community, social networking sites are complex environments where young people can be exposed to risk. To enable them to build up a network of contacts with common interests, users are encouraged to post information about themselves such as likes and dislikes, schools attended, and their biggest fears. In addition, many users post considerable personal detail including photos and contact information which can then be picked up and used by anyone visiting the site. Research by Cox Communications in the US found that 20% of teens thought it was safe to share personal details online, and 37% were not concerned about someone using their personal details in ways they hadn't approved of.
"Many people post information with a specific set of friends in mind and often fail to consider the wider implications of posting material online." says Martin Cocker, Executive Director of NetSafe.
"These sites provide a very effective platform for coordinated online bullying and harassment. The NetSafe contact centre (0508 NETSAFE) team has worked with young people who have found their social network has turned on them after a friendship bust up. Users who have shared personal details can not simply abandon their site identity as the harassment often spills over into other mediums - such as mobile phones.''
Most seriously, these sites have made it easier for sexual offenders to select and contact children. Concerns about this aspect of social networking have led to the US House of Representatives proposing a law change that would ban them in schools and libraries
"These sites are popular because they provide a service the youth are demanding, so we can safely assume they'll find ways to access them. Banning specific sites is not going to help them to deal with the risks they will inevitably encounter online. Just as we teach young people how to use a motorcar safely, we need to be helping them to use these technologies in a way that keeps them and others online safe.'' says Cocker.
The Cox Communications research found that when parents and guardians talked to their teens about Internet Safety, the teens were more likely to make safer online decisions reducing their exposure to potential threats.
"Today's youth will utilise social networking sites, and they will share information about themselves. We need to help them differentiate between appropriate content and detail they should keep private'' says Cocker.
Once information is posted online, control of it will very quickly be lost and NetSafe urges parents and guardians to engage with their children about their online activities. ''Ask about what they do and don't like. Ask what are they using the Internet for, and get them to show you how they do it.''
Parents can check out simple safety information for kids on the NetSafe website www.netsafe.org.nz and can encourage their children to 'Stop, Think, Ask and Remember' while online.
''If we have forged a relationship with our children around their online activities, they will be more likely to come to us to talk about something that is bothering them. This relationship is crucial because there will always be new trends that emerge online and these trends will hold new challenges to our children's safety. What we can do is equip them with some strategies so that they know what to do to keep safe.'' says Cocker.
Release ends
For further information contact:
Martin Cocker
Executive Director
The Internet Safety Group-NetSafe
Ph 09 362 0971
Mob 021 790 369
Email martinc@netsafe.org.nz
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