Whole Kids Project

Action Alert: A Free and Safe Wireless Internet Service

Last week I told you about the FCC's plans to auction off unused airwaves to create a free, nationwide wireless Internet service.  The auction has one stipulation: the winning company must provide filters to make the service porn-free.

The ACLU and "free-speech" activists want the FCC to remove the porn-free requirement claiming the porn-ban condition constitutes censorship.

The National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families has established an online petition so that we can let the FCC know that Americans want the family-friendly requirement maintained.

Please take a moment to add your signature to this petition.

FCC to Consider Porn-Free Wireless Internet

I received this update from the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families:

As you may have heard, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin was set to auction off unused airwaves at a June 12 meeting to establish the first-ever free nationwide wireless Internet service. The winning wireless company, however, had to abide by one stipulation: the free service must also be porn-free.

While the vote was put on hold to research issues of interference, it is likely the proposal will be added to the July meeting agenda.

“This could be one of the greatest family-friendly technological advances we have seen in a long time,” said Rick Schatz, president and CEO of the National Coalition. “What a wonderful way to give children access to the Internet while also guaranteeing their safety.”

The National Coalition has worked with Chairman Martin and members of the FCC for years to help protect children from objectionable content not only on the Internet but also on broadcast television and radio.

“We continue to be encouraged by Chairman Martin’s commitment and conviction to do all he can to protect the eyes of the innocent,” added Schatz. “This is just one more example of how his strong leadership will impact the nation.”

As expected, however, free speech activists are arguing the FCC is censoring material by filtering out all pornography.

“The Chairman is not trying to take away adults’ right to view porn,” commented Schatz. “But he is looking to protect our children, for which we are very grateful.”

The National Coalition will continue to stay abreast of this issue and update you as information is released. Be sure to watch for upcoming email alerts on ways you can encourage the FCC and make your voice heard in this critical issue for children and families!

We'll keep an eye on this as well.  No doubt there will be an intense 1st Amendment debate.  If you would like to stay informed on this issue I encourage you to sign up for free email alerts from the National Coalition.

Is Your Child Addicted to the Internet?

I just received this from the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families and thought I would share it.

From an article by Luke Gilkerson of Covenant Eyes, an Internet filtering and accountability product for families and organizations:

So how can you, as a parent, know if your child is developing an Internet addiction?

• Have you noticed an increased amount of time on the computer? Does your child seem to crave more and more time online?

• Is there an air of privacy around Internet use? Maybe you've walked in on your teen with the computer screen turned away from the door. When you come close to the computer, do you notice your teen quickly shifting what is visible on the screen? Do they shut off the computer or screen altogether? Do you often find the door to the computer room locked?

• Are they defensive and protective about their time online? Maybe you've confronted them about the amount of time they spend online and have been met with anger or frustration.

• Are they neglecting time with family, chores, or school work?

• Have you noticed personality changes? Do they seem irritable until they get online? Do they seem to have a sense of "well-being" while on the computer? Do they seem restless, moody, or depressed if their Internet use is cut short? Internet addictions have a way of engulfing someone emotionally.

• Is there a change in sleep patterns? Have you ever caught your teen on the computer late at night or early in the morning? Often the largest bulk of free time to use the Internet is at night.

• Have you noticed physical symptoms such as dry eyes, migraine headaches, backaches, eating irregularities (skipping meals), neglecting personal hygiene, etc.? These can be signs of too much time spent at the computer.

Where do you start if you think your child has a problem? While these are all possible indicators of an Internet addiction, in the end the best way to know if your child has developed an addiction is to engage in open and honest communication with your teen. As one expert writes, "A warm and communicative parent-child relationship is the most important nontechnical means that parents can use to deal with the challenges of the sexualized media environment" (Patricia M. Greenfield, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology).

Be practical about avoiding Internet addiction. Keep the lines of communication open about the expectation of Internet use. Set guidelines early and stick to them. Put the computer in a more central and open location so you can more easily monitor how it is used. Teach responsible online behavior: show your children the great benefits of the Internet while showing them how to balance their time—online and off-line.

June is Internet Safety Month

I thought June was supposed to be all about Fathers, Fatherhood, and Father's Day- but apparently the US Senate has declared June to be Internet Safety Month. 

Fine. I'll share my month with a good cause.

The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families sent me these Internet safety tips and I am more than happy to share them with you.

1. Develop a trusting relationship with your child.
2. Keep the door of communication open.
3. If you have reason to suspect your child is viewing inappropriate sites, do not overact. Approach your son or daughter with respect.
4. Add to online profiles that you monitor your child's use of the Internet.
5. Know your children's online friends.
6. Use a pre-filtered Internet Service Provider (ISP). Visit www.FilterReview.com for help.
7. Check media storage devices such as CDs, zip disks and memory sticks.
8. Check history files often.
9. Spend time with your child as they surf the Internet.
10. Ask your child to show you what IM (instant messaging) looks like.
11. Have your child teach you about their favorite online destinations.
12. Get to know and use the Parental Controls provided by your Internet Service Provider and/or blocking software.
13. Always maintain access to your child's online account and frequently check his/her account.
14. Teach your child about responsible use of the resources on the Internet.
15. Find out what safeguards are used at your child's school, the public library and at the homes of your child's friends. These are all places outside your supervision where a child can encounter an online predator.
16. Instruct your child NEVER to arrange face-to-face meetings with someone they met online and not to respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent or harassing.
17. Tell your child to NEVER give out identifying information such as name, address, school name or telephone number to people they don't know.
18. Direct your child to NEVER post pictures of themselves or their friends on the Internet. Let them know this has seriously harmed other children.
19. Teach your child to come and get you when they access something on the Internet that makes them feel uncomfortable, no matter what it is.
20. Teach your child that the Internet is a good source for educational, recreational and creative searches, but has intentional landmines placed that could hurt them.

Action Alert: Video Game Ratings Enforcement Act

Via the Parent's Television Council:

STOP THE SALE OF ADULT VIDEO GAMES TO CHILDREN WITHOUT PARENTAL APPROVAL

Utah Congressman Jim Matheson and Nebraska Congressman Lee Terry recently introduced the bipartisan Video Game Ratings Enforcement Act in the House of Representatives. This bill will require retailers to check identification in order to keep adult-rated video games from being sold to children.

The proposed legislation codifies the video game industry’s own voluntary policies and will ensure better enforcement by requiring all retailers to check IDs from any child trying to buy or rent Mature (M)-rated or Adult-Only (AO) rated games. It does not limit adults’ access to any games they want to buy for themselves or for their children – it merely helps ensure that children can only access age appropriate video games if they are accompanied by an adult.

Please take action today by asking your representatives to support this bill.

Two key points here: this adds some teeth to the policies that the video game industry has already adopted and the proposed law does not seek to ban or restrict adults from purchasing any games.

This law would help parents who wish to limit their kid's access to certain games by making retailers accountable.

Please click here to send your Representative a message urging support of this bill.

Facebook Adds Safeguards

Via Yahoo News:

Facebook, the world's second-largest social networking Web site, is adding more than 40 new safeguards to protect young users from sexual predators and cyberbullies, attorneys general from several states said Thursday.

The changes include banning convicted sex offenders from the site, limiting older users' ability to search online for subscribers under 18 and joining an existing task force seeking ways to better verify users' ages and identities.

"The agreement marks another watershed step toward social networking safety, protecting kids from online predators and inappropriate content," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who announced the agreement Thursday with his counterparts in several other states.

MySpace, Facebook and other online networks have created a new venue for sexual predators, who often lie about their age to lure young victims to chat, share images and sometimes meet in person. It also has spawned cyberbullies, who have sent threatening and anonymous messages to classmates, acquaintances and other users.

Among other changes, Facebook has agreed to:

• Ensure companies offering services on its site comply with its safety and privacy guidelines.

• Keep tobacco and alcohol ads from users too young to purchase those products.

• Remove groups whose comments or images suggest they may involve incest, pedophilia, bullying or other inappropriate content.

• Send warning messages when a child is in danger of giving personal information to an adult.

• Review users' profiles when they ask to change their age, ensuring the update is legitimate and not intended to let adults masquerade as children.

Still,  parents have to be vigilant in protecting their own children and not be lulled into thinking that these safeguards alone are enough to protect their children.

Kids and the Web Report: Like Taking Candy From a Baby

Consumer Reports WebWatch and the MediaTech Foundation released a report detailing the ways that kids use websites such as Club Penguin, Webkinz, Nick Jr., and Barbie.com.

Some key findings from the report:

Children as young as 2 ½ years of age are able to go online.

• The most popular young children’s sites are moderately to heavily commercialized. When rated by our test parents on a scale from 1 (not commercialized) to 5 (extremely commercialized), the 21 sites considered in this study scored a mean rating of 3.47.

• Web sites frequently tantalize children, presenting enticing options and even threats that their online creations will become inaccessible unless a purchase is made. Some sites show attractive options that invite a click, but lead to a registration form instead. Some sell a child’s prior experience – a room they’ve built for a virtual pet, for instance – back to them, using statements such as, "If you cancel your membership, then your belongings will go into storage and will be automatically retrieved when you re-subscribe."

• Most sites we observed promote the idea of consumerism. The most common technique uses a reward-for-work basis, awarding "points, coins or dollars" for success and achievement that can then be used to "buy" items such as clothing, makeup, big-screen TVs or other accessories for virtual pets or avatars.

• The games we observed vary widely in quality, in educational value, and in their developmental match with children’s abilities. Such mismatches often result in frequent cries for help.

The entire report can be found online here. 

WebWatch has also posted video from the study on YouTube.

The report offers these suggestions to help parents create a safer web-experience:

• Keep an eye on the screen. Set up the home computer in a central location so you can see what your child is doing. Lend a hand or suggest an activity that matches your child’s interests or abilities and pay attention to the directions his or her activities take.

• Be suspicious of "free" offers. As in the real world, free lunches are rare, and this is a concept children can’t understand. Don’t expect young children (and many adults) to understand the well-worn caution: "If something looks too good to be true, it probably is."

• Read before you click. Before you or your children click on the "I agree" button, scour terms-of-use agreements and privacy policies to make sure you aren’t agreeing to share information you don’t want known. At worst, publishers make such disclosures inconvenient to read and awkward, so you are tempted to click an agreement and move on. Those emotions can be amplified when you have an anxious toddler pressing you. Also, don’t download software before verifying it won’t alter your computer’s settings.

Keep in mind the motivation behind the design of each of these sites- these are  commercial sites and they all want you to buy something.  In some cases the pitch is cleverly hidden- but if you dig deep enough you'll find it. 

The point is that you should explore the sites before your child does- and you, not the marketer, should decide if the sites are appropriate for your child.