Internet – Hazardous as a Pandemic?

(Net Precautions part 1)

So much has been said about the Internet and the wealth of information it gives us. In the same token as we’ve written several times on the dangers and ill affects it may have on our kids as well. I can’t stress it enough, I guess, basing it on my own experiences with my Keoni. So, parents, once again, please beware –the Internet can be dangerous to your child’s moral health.

With the advent of the H1NI pandemic in the country, parents were naturally worried about their children catching the dreaded flu as they finally went back to school after an extended summer vacation due to the class suspension.

But aside from this danger in the real world, there is another danger in the virtual world of the Internet that parents should be concerned about – the possibility of their kids being exposed to, and becoming victims of, spam mail, offensive websites, photographs and sexual videos that have been circulating in the Internet such as the controversial ones that have been in the headlines lately.

It seems like more and more kids nowadays are starting to use computers at a younger age than their parents or even their older siblings. They spend much of their time either browsing the Internet, playing online games or updating their profile in social networking sites. Why, my 7-year old Keoni has two email accounts, one in Yahoo and one Gmail, a Friendster, Facebook and ToonTown Account! Thank God I monitor the kinds of social sites he could belong to much less check on the sites he goes to.

Aside from offensive materials, computers can also suffer from other web surfing hazards such as the infection of Trojans and computer viruses. Additionally, the children may be downloading files and programs, unaware that doing so may be a crime against the Intellectual Property (IP) Code of the Philippines, which prohibits any form of copying of copyrighted material without permission from the owner.

“The number of Internet users is growing exponentially every year and the Internet is fast-becoming a staple educational resource. With this boom in technology, Filipino Internet users should be given enough information that will not only allow them to derive full benefit from use of the Internet, but also protect them from the apparent risks present in the cyber world,” said Dr. William Torres, President, Philippine Internet Services Organization (PISO).

Recognizing the enormous influence of the Internet and the need for information on safe Internet usage, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world, has been maintaining B4USurf (www.b4usurf.org) an online resource website that teaches cyber-ethics and cyber safety to teachers, parents and children.

If not properly guided, what looks like an innocent playground can turn into a danger zone for our kids. The net is also populated with online hazards and threats. We encourage parents to learn the ways and means of cyber-ethics and cyber-safety with their children by referencing the resources available on the B4USurf website.

Looks like the future generation will continue to be immersed in the digital age which gives us, parents, all the more reasons to be wary. Due to the outpour of requests from parent email senders, one again here is a guide for children in the promotion of safer Internet us. (To be continued)