Sexting?!

Reader's Digest recently did a poll in an effort to find out how many parents have heard the term "sexting" (and understand it). I was surprised to see that only 36% of parents reported being familiar with the term AND understanding what it means. So, I thought it'd be a good idea to highlight some tips to PREVENT sexting. Oh, and for the record, sexting refers to sending sexually charged messages or images by cell phone.

• THINK ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES of taking, sending, or   
forwarding a sexual picture of someone underage, even if it's of you. You
could get kicked off of sports teams, face humiliation, lose educational
opportunities, and even get in trouble with the law.

•  NEVER TAKE images of yourself that you wouldn't want everyone—your
classmates, your teachers, your family, or your employers—to see.
 
• BEFORE HITTING SEND, remember that you can't control where this
image may travel. What you send to a boyfriend or girlfriend could easily
end up with their friends, and their friends, and their friends…
 
• IF YOU FORWARD a sexual picture of someone underage, you are
as responsible for this image as the original sender. You could face child
pornography charges, go to jail, and have to register as a sex offender.  
 
• REPORT any nude pictures you receive on your cell phone to an
adult you trust. Do not delete the message. Instead, get your parents or
guardians, teachers, and school counselors involved immediately.

Don't forget, we love your questions! Please post them and we'll answer them here.

Surf (and text) safe!
Shanna

Holla!

   I want to give a special shout out to Kristina Ainge at Whittier Elementary. Kristina is the computer lab supervisor and she was a huge help when I came to install the certifications this week. She is very excited to run them with the kids and she understands how valuable they are. The certification activities are an awesome follow-up to the assembly and they're especially important for those students who might not learn as well in a large group setting. When the kids finish, they also get to print off a cool certificate and a Web license that shows they know all there is to know about being safe online! :D

  Thanks Kristina, for understanding that the certifications are an important part of the Netsmartz program!

  Surf safe!
  Shanna

Smishing

 So, I was just sitting on the couch the other night watching some TV (being your average couch potato ;) and I received a text. It said it was from my bank and that my debit card had been compromised and that I need to call such-and-such number immediately.  My first response was a bit of panic-- someone is using my debit card?!

Introducing.....  SMISHING.

What's the best way to disguise a phishing attempt so no one can tell where a request for personal information or a password really came from? Easy: Send it via text message.

"Smishing" is the name being given to the not-entirely-new but growing practice of sending phishing come-ons and scams via SMS message. And spammers are apparently finding it an increasingly easier proposition to text a phishing message to you rather than to email it traditionally.

Why's that? You've probably received hundreds or thousands of phishing emails and immediately saw through the ruse: Images were broken, the "from" address was wrong, words were misspelled, or links in the message were obviously directing you to phony websites. There are dozens of things that phishers have to get right for an email scam to fool anyone, and that's apparently quite difficult to do. Making things even tougher, many of those emails are now blocked by ISPs and spam filters and never make it to their intended targets.

Those problems don't really exist at the SMS level: Very few SMS messages are blocked, and since they are composed entirely of text, no images required, it's often impossible at a glance to determine if a message is real or fake.

One popular smish threatens the user that he is about to be charged for something unless he cancels it, with a message like: "We're confirming you've signed up for our dating service. You will be charged $2/day unless you cancel your order by clicking here: phonysite.com." Of course there are no pending charges, and the site you're directed to is completely fake, its goal being to collect your credit card number (which you will helpfully enter in order to "cancel" the charges), or install a bit of malware on your computer (or even, someday, on your phone).

Smishing messages may instead direct you to call a toll-free number in order to complete or cancel some financial transaction, the only difference being that a human operator will handily take down your credit card or bank account number for you, to save you the trouble of typing it online. Of course, the number you called is phony, too.

What should you do if you receive a message you fear is a smish attack? The answer should be pretty obvious but bears repeating: Virtually no credible financial institution, utility, or other business will communicate with you via SMS with the exception of your cell phone provider. Don't recognize the website or phone number being sent to you? Don't call it. If you're worried about an upcoming charge, contact the service provider or bank directly via means you know are legitimate and ask them directly about the message. They'll likely tell you what you already know: Just ignore it.

Source: Christopher Null, online at http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/139677

Questions? As always, we love 'em. Post here and we'll answer!

Surf (and text) Safe,
Shanna

Browsers for Kids

I've received a lot of questions lately from parents about how to set up a browser so kids can safely surf the web.  Here are some links to some kid-friendly tools. 

As always, these recommendations are use-at-your-own-risk.  NetSmartz only offers these as ideas, not as guaranteed safety measures.  Please use the suggested tools in addition (never as an alternative) to common sense and established internet safety rules.

KidRocket - a multimedia standalone
http://kidrocket.org/

KidZui - another standalone
http://www.kidzui.com/

KidsMenu - offers several options for safety
http://glob.com.au/kidsmenu/

KidRex - online site dedicated to kid-friendly searches
http://www.kidrex.org/

KidGrid - online site listing safe sites for kids
http://www.kidgrid.com/


Please leave a comment/review if you've used one of these sites.  We'd love to hear some reviews!

PARENT ALERT: By Judith Newman

I stumbled across a great article in the May issue of Reader's Digest, but it doesn't look like they've made it available online. So, I'm going to post an excerpt here... if you happen to come across a RD though, take a look at the whole article, it's great. :)

 

      "Kids as young as 11 and 12 have been discovered taking compromising photos of themselves and sending those shimmering pixels over their phones and computers. More than a few incidents have made the nightly news. In February, for example, a 15-year-old girl from central Pennsylvania faced charges for possessing, distributing, and creating child pornography after she sent topless photos of herself to a man on MySpace; the man, 27, was also charged. Last year, an 18-year-old Orlando, Florida, teen began serving five years probation and had to register as a sex offender after forwarding naked photos of his then-16-year-old ex-girlfriend to her friends, teachers, and relatives. And six middle school boys in Massachusetts were questioned by police after they passed around a picture of a half naked 13-year-old classmate on their cells.

     Surely this is just one of those salacious, overblown "trend" stories, right? There can't be that many teenagers sending and receiving inappropriate photos of themselves.

      Think again.

      Last fall, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy teamed with CosmoGirl.com to canvass 1,280 teenagers and young adults about their electronic activities. According to their survey, one in five girls (11 percent between 13 and 16) and 18 percent of teens boys have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves. About 15 percent of senders forwarded photos to people they hadn't actually met but knew only online."

      Newman goes on to write "'teenagers are sexual beings and they want to push the envelope. There's not a whole lot of thought before hitting the send button" and "when the legislation for child pornography was enacted, no one was imagining minors taking pictures of their own bodies."

 

      When I read this article, I realized again how valid and necessary our work as Netsmartz trainers is. If you work in a school, have children, or just care about the future of our youth... you should take these issues seriously and consider contacting us for a training.

 

      Questions? Post them and we'll answer them here!

 

      Surf safe,
      Shanna

 

 

Holla!

I want to give a shout out to Altamont Elementary, East Roosevelt Elementary and the faculty at Roosevelt Junior High! I feel like I've been running a Netsmartz marathon this week in the Duchesne County School District and it has been.... exhausting! :) But GREAT! The kids were awesome and loved the presentations, and several teachers approached me after with some great feedback! I appreciate you guys and I had lots of fun.... I'll be back soon to install our activities in your lab so you can all get certified!

Surf safe,
Shanna

DoNotContact.Utah.gov

Miss Utah, Kayla Barclay, provided us with great news today. The Utah Child Protection Registry was created on the idea that families should have the choice to decide what messages enter their homes. The State of Utah provides a free tool where families can register their e-mail addresses, mobile phones numbers (text messaging), instant messenger IDs, and fax numbers to restrict adult advertisements. These adult-oriented advertisements include messages like alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and pornography. Registering your family’s addresses and mobile numbers are quick and easy, go to DoNotContact.Utah.gov. This will only take but two minutes, and is just one more easy step we can take as parents and children to further our safety. Take the time today to register and prevent adult advertisements from effecting your children. Visit DoNotContact.Utah.gov!!

-Jenny

Miss Utah supports NetSmartz!

Tomorrow morning, Miss Utah, Kayla Barclay, will be on the radio discussing internet safety. Kayla's platform is internet safety, and she has spent countless hours presenting to schools all over Utah. Kayla is an advocate for NetSmartz and uses our program to inform Utah about Internet safety. We are so grateful for Kayla and all of her hard work. Make sure you listen to the radio on Thursday, April 2nd @8:30 a.m. to 94.1 KODJ. She will be explaining to parents easy tips on how to keep families safe on the Internet and on cell phones. Don't miss it!!

-Jenny

Get Your Game On... SAFELY!

 
With schools being released for summer soon, you might find your children want to occupy their new found free time with video games. Following are 10 tips to help keep your kids safe!

• View game ratings and prescreen games online before purchasing.
• Check if the console comes with parental control features.
• Set the parental controls before children start playing. (Consult the user guide.)
• Set up consoles in a common area for easy supervision.
• Decide if you want to use the console's Internet capabilities.
• Set gaming rules with your children, such as how long and with whom they can play.
• Choose gender-neutral, appropriate screennames.
• Decide if you want to allow voice chat. (If so, use voice-masking features.)
• Teach your children not to reveal personal information online.
• Encourage them not to respond to cyberbullies and to block unwanted contact.
  
  

Gaming consoles have so many cool features and graphics these days that they're easy to get addicted to! Don't let your child become a Numbut- get out and enjoy the summer!

Questions? We love 'em! Just leave any you might have in the comments and we'll answer them here.

Surf Safe!
Shanna

Holla!

The Sugar House Boys & Girls Club kids have been LOVING the new Netsmartz Lab!

I appreciate you guys also participating and having fun with this month's "Netsmartz Fest" programs...

You guys are AWESOME!

Surf Safe,
Shanna

Holla!

A giant THANK YOU to Northwest Middle School! You guys ROCK!

Don't forget, just because it's online, doesn't mean it's legal to download.

Surf safe!
Shanna

Shout Out to Millville Elementary!

Millville Elementary! I enjoyed my time at your school. What a great staff and student body! The assembly with the students was fun and parent training was great! I was excited to hear all of the great questions and comments from the parents. I am happy parents in Millville are doing everything possible to keep their kids safe on the internet. Keep up the awesome work!

-Lezlee

Lewiston Elementary Rocks!

Thank you for your warm country welcome into your school! You have some amazing students at Lewiston Elementary. Great comments and participation! I am excited the students have already started to play on the NetSmartz Website. :) I hope to come back soon!

-Lezlee

Bella Vista

This is a shout out to an awesome school, Bella Vista Elementary. The 'Tigers' there were really great at participating in the assembly and giving some great answers. One of the things everyone got excited about was the Numbut.
To the question "Why shouldn't you stay on the internet all the time?", one Tiger answered "Because when you do one thing all the time, it makes you boring!"

Great answer, Tigers!

It was great to visit with you. I'm looking forward to coming back to do the certification.

--Kate