Web-safety lessons from teachers and 12-year-olds

Virginia schools are the first to mandate Internet safety classes. But are kids listening?

By Tom Regan | Columnist

from the April 16, 2008 edition

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One of the hardest things to do when you're a parent is to teach your kids to be safe. Parents, of course, talk to their kids about safety all the time. But do the youngsters listen? My wife and I often joke that we need to carry tape recorders around so that we can play and replay our safety warnings – maybe then we wouldn't have to endlessly repeat the advice ourselves.

And when you're dealing with Internet safety, it can be even harder. The dangers online don't seem all that dangerous when you're 8 or 9, let alone when you're 15 and you think you're invincible. After all, it's just a computer – no one can hurt you, right? And many parents don't know as much about the Internet as their kids do.

But the danger is there, and the biggest fear online is sexual predators. A 2006 study by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported that about 13 percent of Internet users ages 10 to 17 received unwanted sexual solicitations. Teens were by far the biggest target – 90 percent of the solicitations. And about 4 percent said they were asked for nude photos of themselves.

So, once again, we turn to our schools to pick up the slack. And in Virginia that means mandatory Internet safety for all students in all grades. Virginia is not the only state doing this; Texas and Illinois are also teaching online safety to students, although as of this school year, Virginia is the only state where it's a mandate.

So how do you teach children about Internet safety? Virginia is using a varied approach rather than offering an actual class in Internet safety. There doesn't seem to be a lot of guidelines for this particular project, but the division of Educational Technology has prepared a 17-page pamphlet that teachers can use in elementary, middle, and high schools, although it seems heavy on suggestions and light on specifics.

For instance, English teachers are encouraged to get their students to write about Internet safety, or about any scary experiences online, as a way to discuss it in class. History teachers can use part of a "Safety Tips with Officer Buckle and Gloria" package that deals with Internet safety.

At higher grade levels, the most popular approach seems to be presentations in front of assemblies of students, where guest speakers talk about the dangers of putting up too much information about yourself on Facebook or MySpace. High school teachers are also encouraged to integrate it into day-by-day lessons in the classroom.

This just brings me back to my original question – does it really work? So I went to an expert, my 12-year-old son Liam, who is both an experienced Internet user and a student in Virginia public schools.

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