Entries Tagged 'internet safety' ↓

The online classified ads website Craigslist set up by American Mr. Craig Newmark, which has classified advertisements all around the world including Australia has been accused of posting ads that sell sex. The ‘adult services’ section on his website is used by many people who deal in human trafficking and pimps who place ads which sell young people for sex.

One such girl (MC), aged only 17 years of age said ”I was first forced into prostitution when I was 11 years old by a 28-year-old man,” she wrote. ”I am not an exception.”

According to police and anti-trafficking activists the internet has now become the number one way to sell women for sex. It’s fast and easy for pimps and reasonably safe for those who pay for sex; they can now browse online from the comfort of their own home rather than combing the streets.

Of all the online sites that offer “adult services,” Craigslist is one of the most popular. It is regularly used by about 50 million Americans who can buy everything from antiques to toys and ads that provide service, jobs and gigs.

There online adult services ads make it the target of a nationwide campaign against internet prostitution. This campaign is being led by FAIR Fund, a Washington based non profit organisation that works to protect young people who are at high risk or have been exploited via human trafficking and sexual violence.

Andrea Powell, head of FAIR Fund called Craigslist ”the Wal-Mart of online sex trafficking’’ and added “most of the young women we’ve worked with who have been exploited online talk about Craigslist.”

The revelations by girls who appear in these ads include the account of AK, who said she had been sold for sex by the hour at truck stops after running away from home.

After pressure and threats of legal action from prosecutors in 43 US states, Mr. Newmark has agreed to monitor the ads, however this is proving both difficult and a conflict of interest for Craigslist as the ‘adults services’ section of the website brings in about $U36million in revenue each year, with each ad costing $U10 to place, that is a lot of ads.

Connecticut’s attorney-general called for Craigslist to shut down its ”adult section” completely.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha
Source: The Washington Post, FAIR Fund

ThinkUKnow

ThinkUKnow is a website dedicated to protecting kids online. It shows you how to help kids stay safe and in control when using various forms of new media.

It gives teachers, parents and carers the tools they need to keep children safe while still letting them enjoy using emerging technologies. The site has free tools and resources including fact sheets and videos to download.

ThinkUKnow is an Internet safety program delivering interactive training through primary and secondary schools across Australia using a network of accredited trainers.

Created by the UK Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, ThinkUKnow Australia has been developed by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Microsoft Australia.

School Presentations – Presentations are also available and they will come to your school and talk to parents, teachers and carers.
Fax expressions of interest to: (02) 6132 6063

Useful sections on the website include:

How Do Kids Have Fun? – explores how young people communicate with friends and family all over the world, access information for school work and develop their creativity. It looks at:
Instant Messaging
Gaming
Chat
Peer-to-Peer
Social Networking
Mobile phones
Blogs

How to Stay in Control – This section outlines some of the risks associated with the activities of young people online.
The site encourages adolescents to have fun online and with mobile technologies, but to always stay in control.

Just as you try to protect your child in the real world, you would also like to keep them safe in the online world. Helping to equip young people with online safety skills will help them to get the most out of the Internet and to stay in control whilst doing so.

Protect Your Computer – This section highlights some practical steps which you can take to protect you and your family online.

It is important that you safeguard your computer, devices and home networks. It is also important to practice safe online behaviour to minimise your exposure to online risks.
The website looks at:
Email safety
Firewall
Malware Protection
Updating computer operating systems
Shopping online
Protecting wireless networks

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: ThinkUKnow

headspace is supporting this series of national seminars relating to the health and wellbeing of young people.

The next Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010 Seminar will be held in Sydney on Friday September 10, 2010

WHAT: Topics this year include major and current issues

• Cyber-bullying
• Drugs and Alcohol
• Body Image & Eating Disorders
• Teen Depression
• Resilience
• Sexualisation, Consumerism, the Media and Mental health

Feedback from our previous event:
• ”It was very insightful. I got such a lot out of hearing from the wonderful line up of speakers you organised for us. I congratulate you on putting such a powerful line-up and message together.”
• “Thank you again for organising such a great event- it was a wonderful success and hopefully the start of many more in the future!”
• “Congratulations and thank you on a well informed and planned conference. My colleague and I loved it. I know next year I would like to send my middle years staff.”
• “The day was a very valuable one and I know that there will be more teachers from our school attending the next one.”
• “The conference speakers were engaging and stimulating and to be honest I have thought of little else since…! It was extremely uplifting to listen to people who love what they do, who are passionate about young people, passionate about their area of expertise and who are generous enough to share their knowledge, insights and understanding to improve the lives of others. Congratulations to everyone involved, I for one have been moved into action and inspired to act!”
• “Thanks once again for such a wonderful conference. I got so much out of it. I plan to use much of the info I gained on the day on a whole school basis. It’s great to have practical info that can be adapted to a school setting.”
• “It was a terrific seminar and every speaker was dynamic and to the point, well worth having a second one. I will share the details with colleagues.”
• “It was wonderful to learn in such a funny and stimulating way. The power of humour…! I will tell all colleagues about what a great professional event it was and how they can possibly get to the next one.”
• “Thank you for your vision, passion and dedication for the wellbeing of young people.”
•  “It was a terrific seminar and every speaker was dynamic and to the point, well worth having a second one. I will share the details with colleagues.”
• “Again thank you for a wondrous seminar.”
• “I will promote the next conference for you, as last week was fantastic!”
• “Thanks for putting on a great conference.”
•  “Thank you so much for your part in organising the wonderful event…..It was inspiring to hear such a collection of speakers on the one program, all most informative and entertaining. I …. shall be passing on the information to others.”
•  “The event WAS wonderful and I am happy to see that you are hosting another so soon.”

 
95% of the delegates felt that the seminar was definitely worth attending

Australia’s leading experts in one event:
• Michael Carr-Gregg, Adolescent Psychologist and Beyondblue Ambassador
• Dr Sloane Madden, Expert in Body Image and Eating Disorders, The Children’s Hospital, Westmead
• Paul Dillon, Drug and Alcohol Research and Training
• Susan McLean, Cyber safety Expert
• Lyn Worsely, Psychologist, Developer of The Resilience Doughnut
• Evelyn Field, Psychologist, Author of Bully blocking, National Centre Against Bullying
• Dr Ramesh Manocha, GP, Mental Health Researcher, University of Sydney

For Education, Health and Welfare Professionals:

“The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010″.
Date: Friday, September 10, 2010
Venue: Mathews Lecture Theatre, University of New South Wales, Randwick, Sydney
Time: 9am-5pm

To look at the full programme, download the brochure or register go to Generation Next

Or phone 1300 797 794

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

We read the story – about an 11 year old girl in the US, Jessi Slaughter, who received a tirade of threats after posting a video of herself on YouTube.

We saw the pictures – the freeze frame of what looked like a traumatised child in her bedroom in floods of tears.
 
On the surface it looked like she was the victim of yet another case of cyber-bullying led by a group of ‘trollers’ – people who use the internet to deliberately provoke reactions by baiting their victims.

“How can we let this happen to an innocent young child?” we all said!

Jessi’s post is at Watch Haters… Piercing… StickyDrama =D here see all 4 minutes and 36 seconds of her rant – but be warned despite the fact Jessi is only 11 years old, the language is extremely graphic.

She has an attitude which is way beyond her years and completely defies logic or a sense of reality. She tells her ‘haters’ to “suck her nonexistent p…s. Suck it and get AIDS and die,” and ends her video post with “it’s a big f*** to all those haters, OK”.

It seems that her actions invited negative attention and provoked a backlash. Perhaps she was not aware that posting a video, filled with expletives, onto the internet would create such commotion. It reinforces the importance of parental supervision regarding teenage activities on the net, it also highlights the need for education about the harmful effects of new media in school as well.

Leading adolescent psychologist, Generation Next speaker and author of “Real Wired Child” Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, points out that “parents need to understand that there are potential dangers in life not just in the technology but also in young people’s inability to always predict the consequences of their actions.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Public Education and Media Education states that “the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that exposure to mass media (i.e., television, movies, video and computer games, the Internet, music lyrics and videos, newspapers, magazines, books, advertising, etc) presents both health risks and benefits for children and adolescents.”

They feel that educating both young people and parents is very important and that “media education has the potential to reduce the harmful effects of media. By understanding and supporting media education, pediatricians can play an important role in reducing the risk of exposure to mass media for children and adolescents.” (American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Public Education. Media Education. Pediatrics. 1999;104:341–3).       

Her behaviour seemed aggressive and quite bizarre; being under the impression that she was some kind of celebrity with fans.

“You hater bitches, you’re just jealous of me because I’m more pretty than you. More people like me, I have more fans, yeh and all that shit” I’m perfect and you’re not. No one can be this pretty with no make-up on… Just stop hating on me. I’m just a normal girl who’s perfect in every way.” 

So where were her parents in all this and why were they not aware of their daughter’s behaviour? Her mother said she doesn’t use the computer and hasn’t seen the clip, while her father added to the furore by posting a rant of his own.

Dr Helen McGrath – a contributor to the Commonwealth Government’s Cyber-safety Joint Committee commented that it was unrealistic to expect parents to keep an eye on their children 24/7 and that the burden lay with schools to give young people the tools to look after themselves.

“It really comes back down to making sure they understand what they’re getting into,” she said.

However Professor Matt Warren, the head of Deakin University’s School of Information Systems said a “child isn’t ethically aware of what they’re doing,” they are too young to understand the implications of what they are “getting into”.

He added “parents will be concerned about their child going out all hours, but they don’t care about them staying on the internet all hours.”

If ever parents needed a reason to censor their children’s internet activities, Jessi Slaughter is it. 

Cyber bullying is a real concern and for more information you can access either:

Cybersmart   or  Cybersafetysolutions

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: news.com

7% of children have had pictures or video of themselves posted online without their permission

The growing trend in sexting among young people is reaching new heights with cases in both SA and WA of children as young as 12 years old producing and distributing graphic images of other children. Yet more teenagers have been caught downloading and passing on hardcore child pornography on the internet.

WA Police Minister Rob Johnson said he was concerned that many school students did not understand they faced child pornography charges over sexting.

“Children don’t see it as a crime and fail to grasp the consequences of their actions,” Mr Johnson said.

“They may think they are only sending an image to their boyfriend or girlfriend, but they could be sending that image to the world, which could have devastating long-term psychological effects.”

SA Police said the sexting trend is becoming worse as more children are given access to technology.

Detective Senior Sergeant Barry Blundell, from the commercial and electronic crime branch, said police were working with schools to educate children on the consequences distributing sexually explicit images.

“One of those behaviours we are becoming aware of now is instances of children either photographing themselves in an intimate manner or taking photos of others – and then sending it to other people. The ramifications of that from a legal perspective are that they are producing and disseminating child pornography.”

Cyber safety expert and Generation Next speaker Susan McLean defined sexting as: the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between mobile phones, but can include internet applications such as MSN, email, or social networking sites.

Once photos are sent, there is no way to get them back, and once in cyberspace, they become a permanent part of a person’s digital footprint. This means that they can forever be linked to that person and without doubt will resurface when least expected such as a job interview.

Ms McLean advised that “parents must learn about the internet with their child” and that schools need to “teach children that information on the web is not always reliable.”

Many teenagers are still under the misconception that if they send an intimate picture of themselves to their partner then it is ‘private’ however once these images hit cyber-space, they are out therefore ever and can be accessed in many ways by many people.

Ms McLean continued “with the explosion of cyber technology, the issues of cyber bullying and ‘sexting’ are emerging as the number one issue confronting the safety and wellbeing of young people and the wider community”.

“Together with associated technology including 3G mobile telephones, Instant Messaging(MSN), online games and the popularity of social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook & now Twitter, today’s youth have access to and are accessible by many millions of people worldwide,” she concluded.

For other teenagers sexting is taking on a more sinister form with cases in both WA and SA of young people actively and deliberately producing and distributing explicit images via mobile phones and the internet. They are fully aware of the images they are producing but not of the fact that this is a criminal offence and that someone else’s privacy has been breached.

It is unclear what sort of consent of participation the people who posed for the pictures played in all this. Are they aware of how the images will be used or the vulnerable position they are placing themselves in?

The most disturbing aspect of all this is how some young people have become desensitised to the whole topic, for them it is OK to take graphic intimate and ultimately pornographic images of both themselves and others and circulate those images freely via the ether.

Why is it that teenagers are not aware that this kind of behaviour is not acceptable within our society and that in doing so they are breaking the laws of this country, not to mention the unwritten laws of decency and self worth?

The survey by home computer support service Gizmo questioned 1,025 parents and children around Australia and found that 7% of children had had someone post online a picture or video of them without their permission.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

Source: Perth Now. Susan McLean

• Victorian Government to introduce new anti-bullying laws
• 600 intervention court orders this year against children
• New laws to focus on mediation
• 10% of Australian teenagers are victims of cyber-bullying

The changes come at a time when more children are taking out intervention orders against other children in an attempt to deal with the growing number of cases of school bullying, especially cyber-bullying.

Former cyber-safety project officer with the Victoria Police and Generation Next speaker, Susan McLean said the increase in cyber-bullying at schools meant that the student’s concerns needed to be resolved immediately in order to avoid long term trauma for the victims.

If these new laws are to be effective they must be supported by extensive training in cyber-bullying for all mediators, school councillors and teachers.

“They can’t wait six weeks for mediation – that would defeat the purpose,” Ms McLean said. “As an adult, if someone sends you something nasty you delete it. Children read and re-read.”

There are also concerns that teachers are not equipped to deal with both the increased cases of bullying and the nature it is now taking, which includes cyber-bullying, stalking and acts of violence including the use of weapons.

Research carried out by online bullying expert Dr Spears, a senior lecturer at the University of South Australia surveyed 700 student teachers “we know pretty well all universities are giving pre-service teachers behaviour management courses, but we need to focus on the specifics of how you help somebody. If a child comes to me then what do we do?” Dr Spears said.

“If we’re looking for a whole school community response (to cyber-bullying) then we can’t ignore the people training to be teachers.”

“There’s an understanding that these young people are digital natives, online and offline their worlds are one and the same,” she said.

“The fact is nothing is private online,” Dr Spears said. “If the information is there it can be accessed. Young people need to realise once it is there it is there forever.”

For this reason, it was important for Internet users to adopt the rule of thumb: What goes online stays online, she said.

The National Centre Against Bullying is also calling for all student teachers to receive compulsory and comprehensive training in both bullying prevention and bullying management during their training.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: National Centre Against Bullying.

Generation Next presents Australia’s leading experts on children and teenagers in one event.

Generation Next is an exciting new initiative featuring a national seminar series and supporting resources aimed at protecting and enhancing the wellbeing of our children and teenagers.

Generation Next has been developed in close consultation with leading experts in adolescent psychology, drug and alcohol research, depression, cybersafety, sexualisation and bullying. The seminars address the rising tide of mental, emotional and social challenges affecting young people as they enter and begin navigate through the increasingly complex world in which we live.

Generation Next will provide professionals, parents, carers, teachers and anyone who cares about the future of Australia’s young people with accurate information and reliable advice on how to deal with these unprecedented challenges.

Generation Next Public Seminar

ADELAIDE - 21 August
For Parents, Carers and Teachers:

Venue:  AAMI Stadium. West Lakes, Adelaide
Time:    12.30pm – 5.30pm

Register online by going to Generation Next Seminars or Download the brochure.
See details and running order for “Generation Next Public Seminars”.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010

SYDNEY – Friday 10 September.                
For Education, Health and Welfare Professionals:

Venue: Matthews Theatre A, University of NSW, Sydney
Time:   9am-5pm

Register online by going to Generation Next or Download the brochure.
See details and running order for “The Mental Health and Wellbeing of Young People 2010″.

Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

For some time now experts have been warning about the dangers of social network sites and how some teenagers are being manipulated into situations they cannot handle by the people they are chatting to. Studies show that teenagers are often happy to provide their personal information to complete strangers.

Many adolescents feel in control of the situation when they are on the net; they can log on and off when they want, answer a question in their own time and say things they wouldn’t say in a face to face situation. The internet seems safe because it is anonymous, removed from reality and there is no emotional investment.

Unfortunately, Sydney teenager Nona Belomesoff, found out that making new friends on the social networking site Facebook is anything but safe. She was allegedly lured to her death by a man who fabricated his Facebook profile. Claiming to work for WIRES, Christopher James Dannevig then invited her to an overnight camp to study wildlife.

Mr Belmosesoff (Nona’s brother) said ”he said he worked there and he could get her a job, she loved animals and saw this as an opportunity to follow her dream.” Her in experience of real life and a misplaced trust in the internet led her to believe the alleged words of Dannevig.

Author and Generation Next speaker Maggie Hamilton says “girls may not realise they are being carefully groomed to do things they had no intention of doing when their cyber relationship began”.

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally agreed “No matter what our age … we should be careful of the people who we meet online and not assume that they are who they represent themselves to be.”

Unfortunately many young people still seem unaware of the predators that trawl the internet looking for vulnerable teenagers who have not yet had enough experience in the world to realise the dangers of befriending people over the internet.

Also many people, teenagers and parents alike, are not aware of the changed privacy settings on Facebook which automatically publishes previously private information and has now made formerly default private settings public. Users now have to change 50 different settings to stop the site from sharing private information with third parties. They have to consciously choose not to accept the new “Instant personalisation” feature.

Social media strategist Laurel Papworth said” Sometimes people see the message [about the new settings] on their screen, and they click OK without fully understanding that the message Facebook told them about changing their settings … to these new default settings.”

It is important for parents and guardians to be aware of their teenagers activities on the internet and keep the lines of communication open, Papworth says “the first thing parents should say is, ‘I’m not going to take your Facebook access away. I want you to know that if you see anything on Facebook that you don’t like or you are worried about or anybody contacts you or anything, I want you to come and talk to me about it.’

In an unparalleled move, Police in Australia have urged users to remove photos of themselves from their profiles. Det Supt Peter Crawford of Taskforce Argos, the unit which hunts online predators, said “I don’t think kids need to have a profile photograph on the internet”.

Facebook, via their head offices in the USA, issued a statement saying “This case serves as a painful reminder that all Internet users must use extreme caution when contacted over the Internet by people they do not know.”

“We echo the advice of the Police, who urge people not to meet anyone they have been contacted by online unless they know for certain who they are, as there are unscrupulous people in the world with malevolent agendas,” the statement concluded.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha

Generation Next and Healthed invites you to attend this highly informative and educational event. No other educational event brings together so many leading experts under one roof.

This UNIQUE multi-disciplinary seminar  features leading experts who will present authoritative and practical information specifically relevant to the mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing of young people.

The aim of the seminar is to enable attendees to develop not only an understanding of the individual issues but also how they frequently interrelate across the boundaries of teaching, health, welfare, law and the community.  Hence the need for teaching, health and welfare professionals to understand how they can work together for better outcomes at all levels.

Date:    Friday 25th June 2010
Venue: Federation Auditorium, Reservoir St, Surry Hills, Sydney
Time:   9am-5pm

Issues covered include:
Bullying, Cyberbullying and Violence in Schools
It’s impact on Mental Health and Wellbeing
An update on new guidelines
Depression and Anxiety
Understanding the signs, symptoms and treatment
Alcohol, Binge Drinking, “Meow”
An update on current issues and practical solutions
Body Image and Eating Disorders
Why early detection is essential and how to spot the warning signs
Sexualisation, Consumerism and the Media
What are its effects on our Young People?
Resilience
Skills and strategies to bounce back from mental stress & trauma
Practical meditation session

Speakers include:
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
Adolescent Psychologist

Paul Dillon
Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia

Maggie Hamilton
Author and Researcher – Sexualisation

Dr Andrew Fuller
The Resilience Foundation

Susan McLean
Cybersafety Expert, previously of Victorian State Police

Prof Stephen Touyz
Eating Disorder Specialist

Melinda Hutchings
Author, Ambassador for The Butterfly Foundation

Who should attend:
• Teachers, educators in primary, secondary, TAFE and tertiary
• Psychologists, Nurses and other Health Professionals
• Social Workers, Youth workers, teacher aides
• Student teachers
• Parents

Education points:
• PD: 6 hours
• CNE points applied for
• APS professional development points applied for

Registration:
Enquiries via Healthed Conference Management:
Phone: 1300 797 794 Fax 1300 797 792
Email: enquiries@generationnext.com.au
Web: www.generationnext.com.au
Discount Registration Available Online

Program:
Each talk is approx. 45 mins in duration with a brief question time.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.

A recent study by Professor Craig Anderson “Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and pro-social behaviour in Eastern and Western countries: A meta-analytic review”  has confirmed that young people exposed to violent video games, themselves become more violent.

Researchers monitored individuals ranging from young children to university students and covering a wide range of cultures both in the east and west.

See previous Generation Next blog – Review confirms Violent Video Games increase aggressive behaviour - for an in depth report of this review which was recently published in the American journal Psychological Bulletin.

The Psychological Bulletin found that “exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive thoughts and behaviour, and decreased empathy and pro-social behaviour in youths."

Prof Craig Anderson confirmed that "… the effects are that exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behaviour in both short-term and long-term contexts. Such exposure also increases aggressive thinking and aggressive affect, and decreases pro-social behaviour."

This report comes at a time when the government is considering the introduction of R+18 rated games into the market in Australia (many of these games have high levels of violence and sex content).

Kids Free 2 B Kids director Julie Gale, and Generation Next Speaker says parents must take some time to sit and watch video games with their children to really know the kinds of games they are playing.

Adding an R18+ classification means that much more extreme violence and sexualised imagery will be available to young people as a whole.

Julie Gale also recently attended the conference ‘Growing up Fast and Furious’  held by the Australian Council of Children and the Media (ACCM) at Macquarie University where the issues of video game content and classifications were discussed.

Current criteria for video games in Australia

• The highest video game rating is MA15+
• Imported games are modified to meet MA15+ rating, and
• All video games entering Australia must pass through the classification system

The outcome of this debate has been made more precarious by the resignation of Attorney-General Michael Atkinson, who was himself a keen advocate and campaigner for opposing the introduction of video games into Australia with a R18+ classification.

Attorney-General Michael Atkinson made the following points in a letter:

• Despite classification stickers, parents still make “bad choices” in regards to what content their children view
• Our desire for unedited games shouldn’t come ahead of protecting children from inappropriate material
• R18+ content adds nothing to the gaming experience
• Games classification is different to film classification, in that films can be better regulated, and
• Children and “vulnerable” adults should not accept violence as a part of everyday life

The next meeting of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General is held in Melbourne on April 29. It is not yet known whether the introduction of an R18+ games rating will be discussed.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.