- The article establishes the similarities between the Australian government’s campaigns for national security and the safety of young people online.
- Sets up an externalised threat.
- Defines a “homogenising collectivity of a national ‘family’”.
- Implies that government intervention is necessary.
- However still emphasises the need for citizens to actively participate in their security.
- In terms of Internet safety, this produces new ideals of parental policing – “Monitoring Mums.”
- In terms of Internet safety, this produces new ideals of parental policing – “Monitoring Mums.”
- Sets up an externalised threat.
- Tactical advice for Internet safety:
- Educate.
- Monitor.
- Limit time and location of use.
- Educate.
- Tense line between a parent’s desire to protect their kids from the “externalised ‘axis of evil’”, and their kids’ “demand for respect, privacy and trust from parents increasing as teenagers get older.”
- Many feel the need to implement measures to monitor and/or restrict children’s activity online.
- “Teenage technical ability and inclination to rebellion outstrips their capacity for responsible judgement, so policing is needed to prevent disaster and to enhance teenage users’ moral education.”
- “Teenage technical ability and inclination to rebellion outstrips their capacity for responsible judgement, so policing is needed to prevent disaster and to enhance teenage users’ moral education.”
- In a switch from usual power relations within most families, and though the gap is narrowing, children and teenagers are becoming more knowledgeable about the Internet and more tech-savvy than their parents.
- Causing parents to feel ‘powerless’ when it comes to their children’s Internet use.
- Children becoming the educators.
- Causing parents to feel ‘powerless’ when it comes to their children’s Internet use.
- Fathers are more likely to identify themselves as more knowledgeable than their kids, however this does not translate into assuming an educative role.
- Indeed, the amount of time that ‘wired mums’ spend online is proportional to the number and ages of their children.
- This shows a perceptible difference that gender plays in terms of parenting with the Internet.
- As young people are increasingly able to get around filtering software and, as NetAlert’s executive director says, “[know] more about technology than [parents] ever would,” external regulation is becoming an attractive option.
- Despite parents taking some of the ‘right’ steps, children are becoming victims. The media latches on to these unfortunate incidents, creating a “dichotomy of good mothers and bad mothers.”
- Note that it is more often the mother who is blamed.
- These ‘bad mothers’ are also criticized if they spend too much time or money, or have too much fun online.
- Provokes the question of, “just who, in the end, is being policed?”
- Despite parents taking some of the ‘right’ steps, children are becoming victims. The media latches on to these unfortunate incidents, creating a “dichotomy of good mothers and bad mothers.”
- The Postscript provides a more optimistic stance, that teens are aware of the risks associated with chatrooms etc, and so when using them, prepare themselves accordingly.
Question 4 (if there’s time): Because it's relevant and topical issue on which everyone seems to have an opinion, what are your thoughts on the Labor government’s proposed Internet Filter?
In answering question no.3
ReplyDeleteIn the previous workshop, I read the article and there was a saying that I found very true: "The internet reflects the real world - we see bullying in the real world, we see cyberbullying. We see people saying nasty things in the real world, we see it online." I believed it is very true that what happens in the real world will happen in the virtual world too. And in some form, much more severe based on the anonymity; kids that do not bully people in the real world can bully others in the virtual world.
And all the things that happen in the internet is too fast to response, there is no way/very hard to block all the dangerous or harmful information on the internet; and there is really hard to teach young people and teenagers regarding this too. Because there is always grey area on the internet.
For example: When a kid go into a porn website, the site already warn the kid that he/she must be over 18 in order to do so, they(website) already did their part, it is then base on the kid's decision. I think it is really hard to control what teenage or young people do on the internet, and there is never enough education for them.
Stephanie
I think there was a genereal consensus in the class about the main fear of the net surrounding the issues of child pornography, children exploitation and trafficking. We also agreed that educating children from a young age about the dangers of the internet is essential. It is fair to say that it is difficult to regulate, block, or ban sites as we had discussed but i came across something quite interesting that Australia could possibly consider, instead of the internet filter(which might be a bit more of a challenge to pursue)
ReplyDeleteAs part of an internship,i am working for the Department for Child Protection and am researching the use of social media to further communicate and engage with the community. As part of my research, i also have to look at approaches adopted by other national and international agencies.
Whilst doing this, i came across a UK based online site called "Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre"(CEOP)- a team part of the UK policing dedicated to tackling the exploitation of children online. They are about tracking and bringing offenders to account, either directly or in partnership with local and international forces. Up to now, 624 children have been safeguarded through the work of CEOP in the past four years.
The link to their website:
http://www.ceop.gov.uk/about/
On top of intelligence work and behavioural analysis, they also provide information about child safety online- both to parents and children.
Considering "net danger" is a pressing issue, the government could look into devoting resources towards something similiar to the CEOP. This way, we are addressing the roots of the problem(the offenders themselves) and not punishing others who use the net in a safe and appropriate way.
I also did read somewhere(with absolutely no memory of where) that there is an option for children to click on an icon of some sort if they feel they are being harassed online and that immediately sends an alert to the policing team of that region. I do remember however,it was not something implemented here in Australia, but this could be another idea form of a tracking device.
Finally, YES FINALLY:P This brings back the importance and significance of educating the child about the internet, for him/her to be able to detect signs of inappropriateness to then be able to report it to a higher authority.
Some of these ideas might seem a bit far fetched, but considering technology is SO FANTASTIC, why not give it a go?:)
I feel that attitudes towards the internet have changed vastly over the past decade. We are much more prepared for the 'unknown' and educated about the various risks we can be exposed to whilst internet surfing or engaging with others on a cyber basis than we were a few years ago that's for sure. Our generation is the most 'protected' against threats I feel; we all grew up with the internet and have witnessed its changes from year to year. And we have all seen what's happened to those who perhaps took the dangers on the internet for granted (or who were just simply blind to these dangers) and were snatched up by the deceitful lies of older men and women attempting to lure young people into their outstretched arms. Such instances have made us wary over time, and I'm sure some of us even have our own 'near misses'.
ReplyDeleteHowever, more and more children are using the internet from a much younger age these days, and I feel it is this generation we need to focus on. EDUCATION IS THE KEY. It is just like when we were all young and our mothers told us in no circumstances were we to talk to strangers. We all grew up with this piece of advice drilled into our minds I'm sure, and I believe the internet should be treated exactly the same.
Without education about the perils present in the cyber-world, we have absolutely no protection. I'm not saying, however, that the government must intervene on all fronts and ban website after website - I only see something like this being abused. Where would the line be drawn? The government most definitely needs to show some sort of initiative though to show that this is a matter it deems important, like setting up support websites on the dangers of internet-browsing, funding support groups, increase advertising in order to increase awareness etc. I do not think the government should decide what we can and cannot search, however. That should be up to the parents (when the child is under 18, after that it's our responsibility, as well as our fault if we look up illegal material like child pornography).
At the end of the day, we will never truly be rid of internet predators and the like. People always find a way to overcome barriers when they are put in place. But if we are educated and aware enough of these dangers, then our ability to cope with these situations and defend ourselves is maximised.
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ReplyDeleteIt seems that everyone agrees on the importance of education for young people so that they can protect themselves online. I definitely agree that Facebook's privacy settings should be Opt-Out. The creators' blasé attitude towards people's privacy is quite worrying (though I think they've started to catch on that it's important to people and are changing their tune - if only for legal purposes).
ReplyDelete