socialising online – dangers
One of the main threats posed by socialising online is anonymity. There are no rules demanding that anyone must be who they say they are. People often leave messages under usernames rather than their own names, for example. But people can go further, disguising their age, sex, appearance and interests. These deceptions may be impossible to detect.
One of the ways this anonymity can be exploited and abused is by paedophiles, hoping to ‘groom’ children for sexual contact. ‘Grooming’ describes the way a paedophile establishes an online relationship with a child, with the intention of meeting up in the real world. It’s been made a specific offence in the UK. But that hasn’t prevented a steady rise in cases of grooming.
Social networking sites have implemented safety measures to help protect children but they are aware that if the rules are too strict they put children off, and they go looking for more ‘relaxed’ virtual environments.
The police can request the address of members from service providers, but often by that point an offence has often occurred.
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making online chat safer
So, how can online socialising be made safer? On the Orange web portal, you’ll find services such as Orange Chat and other Orange adult services. These warn the user on entry and require under-18s to declare they are aged 18 or over before they can use the service. Take a look at how to protect yourself using Orange chat, and click here to see the Orange chat moderation policy
social networking sites
The last couple of years have seen an innovation on the internet called ‘social networking’ or web 2.0. This allows people to publish their own sites quickly and easily, and to post images and recordings onto the internet for anyone to view.
socialising online – talking points for children
Here are some areas of discussion with children, to help them avoid encountering someone who isn’t who they say they are.
where to next?
The Department for Education and Skills has a helpful section on web safety.
For more information on IT security, take a look at the National Children’s Home website, or find other useful information here.
The charity Childnet has produced a useful site.
You can find the site of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre here.
The Virtual Global Taskforce is a liaison project concentrating on safer internet operations between police forces in the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
