One of my co-workers posted a question:
Home information security monitoring/controlling – what would you recommend to use for controlling/monitoring my teenagers’ internet access, emails, text/call on iPod Touch & cell phone, internet identity (Histogram, Facebook, etc)?
My response:
Hi, Jean (not her real name),
Introduce them to Linux (Ubuntu or Mint Cinnamon would be my recommendations) so they can run a reasonably secure system. Failing that, make sure they keep their anti-virus absolutely up to date and run regular system scans.
If your teenagers are like mine, they're pretty good at figurinig out techy stuff. Forget about parental control software and filters and such. You're wasting your effort.
Talk to them. Talk about spamming and phishing and what not. The corporate security article posted here a couple days ago would be a good place to start. Make sure they understand everything they post is essentially public. Whatever they post will be seen by whoever will be most hurt by it or can do the most damage with it (like college admission officers and future employers).
Talk about dealing with Internet thugs and trolls. I got hit by a pair of trolls a couple weeks ago. It frighted me to think of the damage they could do to kids who didn't know how to block them and walk away.
Talk about the what-ifs. You click on a link and find yourself staring at a full frontal high def spread legs nude. What do you do? It's going to happen. Make sure they understand the difference between nudity and pornography. A photo or painting doesn't have to be nude to be pornographic.
I know where you and they go to church. Tell them the golden rule has to be their rule on the Internet. Forget anonymity; treat other people right.
Talk with them about the Serenity Prayer and the Prayer of Saint Francis. Between the two of them you can avoid a lot of grief on the Internet.
Be sure they know (tell them!) that they can come to you no matter what has happened to them or what dumb thing they have done, and you will be there for them.
Keep talking with them.
Blessings Mommy Jean,
Steve
If your teenagers are like mine, they're pretty good at figurinig out techy stuff. Forget about parental control software and filters and such. You're wasting your effort.
Talk to them. Talk about spamming and phishing and what not. The corporate security article posted here a couple days ago would be a good place to start. Make sure they understand everything they post is essentially public. Whatever they post will be seen by whoever will be most hurt by it or can do the most damage with it (like college admission officers and future employers).
Talk about dealing with Internet thugs and trolls. I got hit by a pair of trolls a couple weeks ago. It frighted me to think of the damage they could do to kids who didn't know how to block them and walk away.
Talk about the what-ifs. You click on a link and find yourself staring at a full frontal high def spread legs nude. What do you do? It's going to happen. Make sure they understand the difference between nudity and pornography. A photo or painting doesn't have to be nude to be pornographic.
I know where you and they go to church. Tell them the golden rule has to be their rule on the Internet. Forget anonymity; treat other people right.
Talk with them about the Serenity Prayer and the Prayer of Saint Francis. Between the two of them you can avoid a lot of grief on the Internet.
Be sure they know (tell them!) that they can come to you no matter what has happened to them or what dumb thing they have done, and you will be there for them.
Keep talking with them.
Blessings Mommy Jean,
Steve
