Keep children safe on social-networking sites

What protection is offered?
Social-networking sites and IM services could do more to protect the people who use them and the protection provided is limited. For example, although Bebo says members must be at least 13 years old and Myspace has a minimum age limit for account holders of 14, these sites do not ask for proof, which means that anyone, theoretically, can set up a profile.

Pressure from the authorities and bad publicity means the major sites now have some additional safeguards. Bebo has a ‘report abuse’ button on members' profiles. There is no age limit to use IM but Live Messenger has a one-click feature that people can use to make a report to police if they are concerned that their online ‘buddy’ is behaving inappropriately or encouraging them to reveal information they shouldn’t.

All sites have privacy features but the default settings on some allow anyone to view another person’s profile. Although Myspace says it now proactively ensures that profiles of 14- and 15-year-olds are automatically made private and soon all users under 18 will have profiles set automatically to private, it is generally up to the user to change the settings for their profile.

What you should do
This means the onus is on the user ­ or the user’s parents ­ to ensure that they are aware of the dangers and know how to protect themselves. However, research shows parents often don’t know how long their children are online or what they get up to.

Parents of younger children can put the PC in the living room so they can keep an eye on things or use parental control software (see our Workshop on using K9 Web Protection). But try taking such measures with a teen and they are likely to rebel. A family chat about how to use the internet safely can be more productive. There’s advice for parents and children at Get Safe Online, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, Bullying UK and E-victims.

Privacy controls should always be switched on so your profile is only available for your friends to view. Social-networking sites have help pages where you can find out how to do this. Be wary of web links because they could be ruses to get you to infect your PC. Try using security protection such as AVG’s new free Linkscanner.

Also be careful about the type of information you or your children put in an online profile. Giving information such as name, address, date of birth and where they go to school seems natural from the child’s point of view, but with most profiles in full public view, it’s not advisable. Studies that show children regularly put all this online and even their phone numbers. All an identity thief needs to begin the process of impersonation is a name, address and date of birth.

Trust is another issue. Do not just add people you don’t know to your contacts or buddies list. Again, children are the worst offenders because they often like to boast about the number of ‘friends’ they have on a social-networking site. An ICO study found that two-thirds of those questioned accepted people they didn’t know as friends without even a cursory check.

Legal angles
Also be aware that you and your child could be at risk of breaching copyright laws. We are not so much talking about music and movies here but taking copies of other people’s files, such as their photos. These laws also help you, as you own the copyright to everything personal that you post online.

You also need to be aware of libelling someone, as you could get sued under the UK’s defamation laws. Legally speaking, a statement is defamatory if it is untrue and tends to expose a person to hatred, ridicule or contempt, to cause them to be shunned, to disparage their business or to ‘lower them in the estimation of right-thinking members of society’.

If you think you’re being harassed or libelled, contact the site owner or administrator and explain the facts. Ask them to make a decision on whether the material is libellous. If they deny it, or don’t respond, get legal advice. Your local Citizens Advice Bureau can advise.

Parents of bullies ­ on and offline ­ are reminded that if they fail to do their part in stopping this behaviour they could face parenting orders and fines of up to £1,000.

How to protect yourself
It is relatively simple to protect your identity when using IM or social-networking sites. You just need to follow some simple rules.

• Consider whether you should use your full name on a profile.
• Never post your phone number or address in a message or online profile.
• Ensure the privacy settings are set so that only your friends can see your profile ­ this is often not the default setting.
• Don’t add anyone you barely know or random people to your friends list before checking them out.
• Be sceptical about claims or offers you receive.
• Be very wary of links to other websites as they can contain malicious software.
• Think about what you post. It can be read by people for years to come and can be spread around by others.
• Never post false information about other people.
• Listen to your instincts; if you don’t trust someone, don’t engage with them.
• Report any suspicious links and people to the site and/or the police.

Stay in contact
Social networking is fun and does not have to be dangerous provided people act responsibly. Shock headlines are common but don’t be put off by the scare stories because, percentage-wise, most people never have a problem. Keep your wits about you and use the privacy options available, and all should be well.

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