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Safety and Technology
Recently, I was conducting an all
day Protecting God’s Children® online training seminar at a
Midwest diocese. During lunch a woman approached me and identified
herself as the principal at a local Catholic elementary school. The
principal thanked me for all of the information that I had provided
to the participants about child and teen safety on the Internet. She
went on to say that she was going to tell her parish priest about
what she had learned at the VIRTUS® seminar. She stated that she
hoped he would now be willing to allow Internet access for the
children at her school. When I told her that I didn’t understand
what she meant, she stated that the parish priest was worried about
the Internet and its many inherent dangers for children. As a safety
solution he had forbidden all Internet access for the children at her
school. In light of today’s extensive, almost nonstop media
coverage of Internet child sexual predators, the concerned
priest’s solution for protecting the children at his school is
understandable. Many people, concerned about the dangers of the
Internet and who are in positions of authority, have forbidden or
strictly limited Internet access for children and teens at schools,
churches, teen clubs, summer camps, and homes. However, trying to ban
the Internet is just as futile as the attempt by adults who attempted
to ban teens from listening to rock and roll music in the 1950s.
Simply banning the Internet for young people at a school is not a
realistic or practical safety solution in 2006. Even though access to
the Internet may be banned at a school, Internet access is usually
readily available for a child or teen at home, a friend’s house,
or the public library. With wireless technology or as it’s
commonly known “Wi-Fi” becoming more and more popular,
young people with portable computers can also go online free of
charge at many unsecured locations. It is also possible for children
and teens to access the Internet from portable electronic devices such
as cell phones or personal digital
assistants (PDAs). In addition, some of the newer video games are
also Internet capable.
Today, the Internet has never been
more popular among youth. Our young ones have grown up in a world
that is immersed in cyber technology and electronic communication. In
fact, children and teens of today probably cannot imagine living in a
world that doesn’t have chat rooms, instant messaging, social
networking sites, online gaming sites, web cams, or text messaging.
Unfortunately the technology gap
between adults and young people continues to widen. Children and
teens think that today’s technology and the many communication
devices that are available are completely safe and very entertaining.
On the other hand, many adults view computers and electronic
communication devices only as tools for work and serious matters, not
as a relaxing or fun pastime. The best way for an adult to keep up
with the technology gap is by learning to use the technology safely.
Young people need “technology conscious” adults, with open
and honest lines of communication, to teach them how to make smart
choices about whom and what they will find when visiting the Internet
or communicating in the electronic world. Some technology safety
practices to consider implementing are:
• Become familiar with young
people’s Internet usage habits and ask
them to regularly show you the
sites that they visit.
• Place computers in open areas.
• Perform regular checks on
your computer’s history.
• Consider setting content
filters for the highest possible level of
security.
• Have open conversations with
children regarding both the benefits
and dangers of modern technology.
Advise them that, while the Internet can provide a wide range of
positive experiences, it can also be a way by which predators attempt
to gain access to potential victims. Adults, by simply engaging in
open communication with young people about the use of modern
technology, may actually be the best weapon against child sexual
predators and many other online dangers. |
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