Virtual worlds can provide a wealth of knowledge and education enabling the user to learn about different cultures, languages and ideas through immersion and creative expression. Allowing children to access these experiences from the safety of home can broaden their horizons and ingrain a valuable sense of “global citizenship” as well as provide social network opportunities by developing friendships from around the world.
Access to online communities can be rife with the same negative attributes as any other offline social domain. All interactions and access to information for minors must to be viewed with the appropriate precautions that protect children from interference and predators.
One of the most important things a parent can do is become computer literate themselves. Understand how to use the built in parental controls. On a Windows based operating system you can access these controls by clicking the Start button, then Control Panel, and under User Accounts, click “Set up Parental Controls” to begin.
Many external gaming systems such as the Xbox also come with built in parental controls.
Another key line of defense is educating your children in safe online protocols. While this may seem to be common sense information such as “never tell someone where you live” the child may think it is okay to share where they go to school instead, thinking that information to be harmless. Inform your children than any personal information shared is a potential danger, including age, birth date, last name and location and train them to understand that repeated requests for this highly confidential information should be shared with Mom and Dad and cause for a red flag.
Set up an email address for your child which you have access to in order to monitor the types of communication they are receiving which might be cause for concern. Forbid your child to share pictures of themselves online unless approved by an adult first. Wherever possible you should keep the computer in a high traffic area of the home where you can monitor their interactions and watch for inappropriate activities.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicates that over 800,000 children are reported missing in the United States alone every year. A study conducted in 2006 on the topic of online victimization of youth (click here to view the report) indicated that:
The first line of defence is awareness. The computer is not like leaving your child to entertain themselves in front of the television. It requires vigilance on your part to keep them safe.
________________________
Source: Web June 16, 2010
No comments yet.
About the Metaverse Tribune
The Metaverse Tribune is part of the Metaverse Broadcasting Company, dedicated to using Virtual Worlds to construct and engage a global audience.
Our Other Sites
Dousa Dragonash
