Group+Final+Paper

= **//Proposed Curriculum for Child Internet Safety//** =

Christine Morrow Stephanie Santos Mike Tran Mohammad Farooqi Muhammad Ali Khan

Professor Christopher Jones Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

With the emergence of the Internet, accessing material and communicating on a global scale has become immediate and “second nature” (Ho & Ko 2008:431). Increasingly, digital innovations have proliferated online dangers with the surfacing of predators targeting youth. On a vast and open network where information is readily available, individuals, in particularly youth, must be vigilant with the information they freely disclose. Young people cannot be held accountable for their ignorance with regards to dangers posed on the Internet, since schools do not emphasize awareness and online safety. It is even more imperative to propose a curriculum in elementary schools, as a necessary remedy to educate younger generations in online safety. Properly educating younger generations will help decrease the risk of being targeted by predators. Studies have demonstrated that parents are often unaware of their children’s online activities, and thus a new curriculum will generate awareness at a younger age so that parents have peace of mind and controls are less essential. The web is an incredible tool to cultivate learning and imagination, and incorporating e-safety awareness will guarantee that children are protected from unnecessary dangers.

In today’s digital era, children have more access to the Internet than ever before, engaging in online activities both at home and at school. Social networking sites, such as MySpace, Twitter and Facebook have made the Internet a social playground for younger generations, encouraging users to connect on a grand scale. In 2008 alone, there were 2.7 million Canadians using Facebook between the ages of 13 and 19. Although Facebook does not allow users under the age of 13 to register, there is no way to officially prevent it from occurring (Grandia 2008). An increasing issue is parents’ lack of awareness and control over their children’s online interactions. Statistics show that that 56% of Canadians aged 9 to 17 use online chat rooms, when only 12% of parents are aware that their kids engage in such activities (Media Awareness Network 2010). Problems arise as youth are unaware of the dangers the Internet poses, particularly when disclosing personal information. Since interactions are not face-to-face, users often feel they can hide behind online avatars and be negligent when disclosing information causing future detriment (Williams 2006).

Social networking is a convenient and accessible tool to stay connected sharing photos and stories with relatives and friends. Profiles can contain a person’s general interests in activities, music and food, but concern arises as users are increasingly disclosing phone numbers, addresses and other personal information on such networks. A rising trend with young people is engaging in these networking sites not only to connect with existing friends, but also to make new ones. Recent cases in the United States discuss incidents where adults have utilized social networking sites to lure children. Recently in Connecticut, a 21-year-old man raped a 14-year-old whom he found on MySpace. Police and school officials are warning children nation-wide that this information is reaching people that they did not intend to share with, particularly online predators who want to exploit the naivety of young people. Uneducated youth seemingly present themselves as “potential prey for people who don’t have good intentions at heart” (Williams 2006). However, there is a difference between a mere verbal warning and actually educating young people to alter habits of Internet usage.

Parents and educators can relay a particular message regarding Internet dangers, but online routines of youth will not change unless they are made fully aware of the consequences. Sexual exploitation has become almost effortless for predators that lure unsuspecting victims online. It is easy for any user to assume an alternate identity, creating profiles that include pictures and information not belonging to them. In fact, child luring has become such an immense problem that the Canadian //Criminal Code// was amended in 2002 to make online communications with children for sexual purposes illegal. Visiting websites containing adult content, using chat rooms, sharing personal information and photos all increase the risk of potential sexual exploitation. A 2005 Youth Internet Safety Survey showed that “ one in three U.S. Internet users aged 10 to 17 was exposed to unwanted sexual material; one in seven received unwanted sexual solicitations and one in eleven had been the recipient of threats or offensive behaviour” (Loughlin & Taylor-Butts 2009). With a curriculum presented in school on Internet safety, these statistics will likely be lowered.

The capability of the Internet knows no boundaries or limitations. For that reason, a tactical strategy in proposing an educational program must start somewhere. Toronto being such an affluent and diverse city, it is large enough to have a national influence if a curriculum is proven successful locally. The strategy is to implement and use a similar process the way social-networking site Facebook launched itself. Facebook originally limited its network to Harvard University students, and gradually expanded to include other universities. Today, they have expanded to reach universities, high school, business networks and anyone age 13 and older (Carlson 2010).

In addition, the intention of the proposed curriculum is to penetrate the education system in a similar approach as previous successful tactics that have been implemented. The introduction of sexual education into schools brought both controversies as well as enlightenment. In 1984, political leaders made sexual education a priority to Canadians in order to combat ignorance on sex. Research on sexual perceptions of Canadian youths revealed a disturbing “retardation in sexual thinking." North American children were revealed to show a three year lag in the level of sexual thinking when compared to those of other countries (Washington Associated Press 1984). At that time, it was seen as a necessity to implement sexual education into educational institutions. This became an important issue that proliferated and became incorporated into education practices at a global scale. For similar reasons, the proposed curriculum for child Internet safety is a necessity required to combat modern day issues arising with the digital age.

Currently, children are born into a generation of advanced technology where the Internet’s capabilities not only allow for online interactions at a macro level but allow youth to engage in these interactions without knowledge of associated dangers. The proposed curriculum will initially penetrate a single education board, both public and catholic, and eventually broaden to permeate various others, targeting a broad range of students. Once the curriculum for e-safety has been arranged and properly implemented in Toronto, it can be expanded to encompass Ontario and proceed to a national and global scale once perfected. The curriculum will be proposed to the Toronto District School Board, particularly director of education, Gerry Connelly. Children must be made aware of the dangers on the Internet including privacy, divulging personal information, and people’s ability to have multiple identities online. Children are at risk of being exposed to inappropriate material, online predators and even cyber-bullying (Sharples et.al 2009).

Beginning the curriculum in Toronto is a necessary first step in implementing global awareness. There have been many reported cases of local child luring in recent years. In March 2006, 27-year-old Chou Eng Fong posed as a teenage boy using the online name M.J. He used the popular chat service MSN Messenger to lure a 15-year-old girl and then sexually assaulting her in her home (CTV News 2006). In September 2009, a 48 year-old Toronto man was charged in connection to Internet luring. He was engaging in sexual activities via webcam with a 15-year-old York Region boy whom he met in a chat room (York Region 2010). On March 22, 2010 a missing 15-year-old girl from Toronto returned home after being abducted by an Internet predator. 38-year-old, Brian Saliba of Milton faced nineteen charges including abduction, child luring, six counts of sexual assault, six counts of sexual interference and six counts of invitation to sexual touching (Mullins 2010). Earlier this year, 46-year-old Torontonian Leslie Somogyi was charged with three counts of luring children less than 14 years old and sentenced to 45 days in jail. He was caught by undercover police in Ottawa and Toronto who posed as youth in Internet chat rooms (Pazzano 2011). These cases all demonstrate the necessity in educating young people and the realities that predators are actively luring children in the Greater Toronto Area.

The potential curriculum is targeted towards elementary school children, grades 3 to 8. Classes should be built into daily education and last 45 minutes, covering various Internet safety topics, particularly types of online interactions such as social networks and chat rooms. The focus will be on the dangers of these sites and how to use them effectively, while avoiding risks from online predators and cyber-bullying. In earlier years, children need to be made aware of cases where youth their own age have been victimized. They should learn the hazards of divulging personal information, privacy issues and where to seek guidance if they feel at risk. The curriculum may go on to educate youth on how to spot predators, where to seek help if they are being victimized and how to take precautions to prevent being lured. In grades 7 and 8, children should be informed of legislation, such as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which controls the way organizations use private information ( Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada 2011 ). Knowing their rights and how information is used via the Internet is an important step in educating youth. These topics will be built with emphasis on online interactive activities, since children learn best in a “hands on” environment. To track their learning, tests can be both standardized written format and based on interactive games.

As access to communication technologies grows, young people can communicate with immediacy with the help of the Internet which has becoming a universal tool. Email, blogs, chat rooms, online gaming and networking devices have been very popular among young people (Loughlin & Taylor-Butts 2009). The Internet does cultivate creativity and poses as an effective tool for educators, but teaching children to use this tool effectively is essential. With all the conveniences and entertainment posed by the Internet also come great risks, particularly toward young people. The Internet presents “exposure to online bullying, inappropriate material, possibility of contact with harmful strangers and opportunities to cause harm to others” (Sharples et. al 2009). Youth feel more inclined to directly give out personal information or speak freely when interactions are not face-to-face. However, cases across Canada and the United States have proven that disclosing information for the sake of amusement is more detrimental that one may consider. Beginning an in-school curriculum in Toronto will indeed have a great impact on a majority of local youth. The idea is that educating a city as influential as Toronto will pressure other cities in the province to adopt a similar curriculum. The goal is to eventually reach a federal scale, so that all provinces realize the severity of online dangers and the importance in educating the youth. As technologies continue to advance and propagate, it is equally important to update education policies to protect younger generations and alleviate parental anxiety.

** Works Cited **

Carlson, Nicholas. "How Facebook Was Founded." //Business Insider//. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. .

Grandia, Kevin. "Facebook User Profile: Canada 2008." //The Meaning of Web//. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .

Ho, Shu-Hsun, and Ying-Yin Ko. "Effects of Self-service Technology on Customer Value and Customer Readiness: The Case of Internet Banking." //Internet Research// (2008): 427-46. //Scholar's Portal//. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. .

Loughlin, Jennifer, and Andrea Taylor-Butts. "Child Luring through the Internet." //Statistics Canada: Canada's National Statistical Agency//. 12 Mar. 2009. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .

"Man Charged in York Internet Luring Case." //York Region//. Aug. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. .

Mullins, KJ. "Ontario Man Allegedly Lured Toronto Teen over the Internet." //Digital Journal//. 22 Mar. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. .

Pazzano, Sam. "Toronto Man Gets Condition Sentence in Child Luring Case." //The Whig Standard//. Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. .

"The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)." //Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada//. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. .

Sharples, M., R. Graber, C. Harrison, and K. Logan. "E-Safety and Web 2.0 for Children Aged 11-16." //ERIC//. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. .

"Statistics on Canadian Youth and Chat Rooms." //Media Awareness Network//. 2010. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .

"Toronto Man Charged in Internet Luring Case - CTV News." //CTV Toronto//. 16 Mar. 2006. Web. 28 Feb. 2011. .

Washington Associated Press. "Study: U.S Children Lag in Sex Thinking." //Ocala Star-Banner// 29 May 1983: 6B. Print. .

Williams, Pete. "MySpace, Facebook Attract Online Predators." //MSNBC News//. 2006. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .