Portal:Digital Safety
What is Digital Safety?
The digital world is inherently more vulnerable to malicious intent via badware, viruses, hackers, etc. Some argue that youth are more susceptible to sexual predators and bullies through cyberspace as well; however, often ânewâ dangers are âreal worldâ threats now encountered through different mediums. There is a history of panic surrounding the introduction of new media forms into society, and a careful, objective strategy is needed to protect our young people without hindering their development.
NarrativesChung-Hee Kim, C-H to his friends, likes to think of himself as a ânormalâ American teenager. He lives in a modest town in a suburb of a large midwestern city. Heâs a freshman at the local high school. His parents are nice, quiet, but a bit square. They donât âgetâ him, and they really donât get the whole online thing, but theyâre OK. More important, they donât get in the way, especially when it comes to using the computer in his bedroom. When heâs not in school or hanging out with his friends, C-H spends most of his free time online. Heâs got a MySpace page that he keeps up to date with the latest features: his favorite music plays when a visitor hits the page, theyâre met with pictures of his favorite movie actresses, and his friends have posted a long list of comments every time he makes a move. Heâs got a Facebook account, but fewer of his friends are on there, so he goes back only once or twice a week to look something up or check out the Wall on his page. He tries out every new service thatâs hot before most of his friends do. Mostly, Chung-Hee is into Second Life. Heâs got an avatar he calls âVirtualC-Hâ â a young, dashing, twenty-first-century knight, who zips around in a partial suit of body armor. When he was visiting his cousins in South Korea last summer, he played around on CyWorld, and heâs had an account on There.com. Most of his friends are into World of Warcraft. But Second Life is where itâs at for C-H. Relevant Research and ArticlesInternet Safety Technical Task Force Final Report (2009) Internet and the Public at Large (2002), p. 41 et seq. Eurobarometer: Safer Internet (EU)(2006) Livingstone: UK Children Go Online (UK) (2005), p. 22 et seq. Safety Awareness Fact Tools: Public Report (2004) Most teens say they've met strangers online (2006) |