Parents & Caregivers
Social Networking Sites
Social networking sites like www.myspace.com and www.bebo.com can be fun to use as well as an effective way for young people to link up with friends and people who have similar interests. As with many online environments, there are some risks involved in interacting with others and putting personal information online. Such risks can include cyberbullying, exposure to anti-social or illegal material, and being targeted by sex offenders or others who may wish to cause harm.
As many of these sites are used by young New Zealanders, parents and caregivers can help minimise such risks by getting involved in their child's online life and providing a tool box of strategies to help them stay safe while having fun online. We have just posted some strategies for young people in the 'Young People's' section of our website including:
Identifying and dealing with online grooming for sexual abuse.
Privacy is also a concern for parents and young people: It is important that social sites are set to private, and for people to know that if a photo is tagged of someone and you are in the album people who are not your friends will be able to look through. Also people in your 'networks' are able to see all your information even if you are not friends with them.
Blocking Bebo or other social networking sites There are many programs which are designed to limit access on a computer, typically known as ‘filtering’ programs. For social networking sites, such as Bebo, Facebook etc we generally do not recommend filtering as an effective option.
a) social networking sites are an integral part of young people’s lives, b) young people can access the internet at a number of places outside of home, e.g., friends’ houses, libraries, etc., c) our research suggests that many young people are capable of circumventing filtering programs with relative ease and d) Bebo is only one of many social networking sites. Similarly taking away access to social sites, or mobile phones is given as the number one reason young people won’t tell their parent or caregiver when they are concerned about online issues. We recommend you talk to your child/young person when they first use ICT and reassure them that you will help them find a solution to any online problem without taking away their technology. Click here to see a comparison on the three main social networking sites. Social networking Summary If you have further questions, get in touch with the NetSafe Contact Centre (0508 NETSAFE - 0508 638 723 or queries@netsafe.org.nz) |
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