Transcript Offensive and harmful material File

Offensive and harmful
websites
The danger
• Children and young people can, both
intentionally and by accident, come
across:
– harmful pornographic and violent
images
– propaganda, hate and cult websites
The level of risk
• There is a lot of very offensive
material on the Internet and it is
very easy to come across – really
depraved material is just a few clicks
away from children and young people
whenever they go online
The level of risk
• Children can easily
come across very
shocking images
and video content
such as:
– Soft and hard core
pornography
– Extreme acts of
violence
Hate sites
• There are also many
websites that contain
hateful, racist, violent
and other distasteful
material
• And unlike most
pornographic
websites, many of
these sorts of sites do
not even make a
partial effort to keep
children away
Hate sites
• Very disturbingly, many actually go out of
their way to invite children to visit them
• They know that children can be
impressionable so they specifically target
them with their evil messages
• Some even have dedicated children’s
sections with music, puzzles and other
features that they go for
Propaganda sites
• The web is increasingly being used
by racist and terrorist groups to
recruit new members and to spread
their propaganda
• There are sites that actively promote
anorexia and suicide
How you can stumble across
offensive websites
• By typing quite innocent words into a
search engine - words such as the
names of popular cartoon characters
and famous pop stars can produce
links to websites that contain
offensive material
How you can stumble across
offensive websites
• Misspelling of the names of popular
websites – this is called
typosquatting
• Many disreputable websites have
acquired website names that are
very similar to those of well-known
companies
How you can stumble across
offensive websites
• Via unsolicited emails (known as
spam) - often these emails contain
offensive pictures and links to
pornographic websites
• Many of these emails contain subject
lines that are misleading so they can
be difficult to spot
CyberSafety tips
• Consider installing parental control
software
• Get your children to turn on the ‘safe
search’ feature offered by the major
search engines
• Report offensive material to:
– CEOP
– or the Internet Watch Foundation
Report problems to CEOP or IWF
Parental control software
• These programs perform a number of
functions, for example, they:
– allow parents to monitor what their child is
doing on the computer
– limit the amount of time spent online
– block access to websites containing key words
like ‘suicide’
– An guide to some of this software can be found
at www.getnetwise.org.
Parental control software
• Try to discuss and agree the type of
control software to be used with children
• John Carr, the secretary of the Children's
Charities' Coalition for Internet Safety:
– "You do not want to be seen as a spy, or
undermine your children's trust in you. The
extent to which control software at home can
be completely successful could be very limited.
A determined child can find a computer
somewhere else: at a friend's house or
internet café."
Suicide websites
• Campaigners have uncovered 29
‘Internet suicides’ in Britain since
2001
• There are pro-suicide sites which
encourage people to take their own
lives and offer advice on how to do it
Suicide websites
• Search engines and Internet Service
Providers say they cannot block access
unless they are made illegal by the
Government
• The Internet offers factual advice which is
accessible within seconds - this is
particularly dangerous with young people,
who often work on impulse
The signs to watch for and where
to turn for help
• Look out for signs of depression in
teenagers
• Warning signs include being withdrawn
and distant
• Try to communicate and make them feel
comfortable by discussing their concerns
• Encourage troubled teenagers to see a GP
or counsellor; offer to take them
What you can do
Papyrus, the national charity, advises:
• Show an interest and try to assess reasons for
using these sites
• Don't hesitate to approach the subject of suicide;
talking about it will not make things worse
• Do not condemn suicide sites outright but try to
give reasons why they are not the best way of
finding information and support
What you can do
• Explain that suicide method sites and chat
rooms only give one option - they do not
offer alternatives such as medication,
therapy or support from family and friends
• Make sure they know that many people
have suicidal feelings but can and do
overcome them to live normal lives
• Suggest alternative sites that can offer
positive support
What you can do
• Listen to what they tell you and do not be
judgemental
• Tell them that you love them no matter
what and give them a hug
• If they won't talk to you, encourage them
to talk to a friend or sibling
• If they are living away from home, go and
see them
Sources of help
• Papyrus
• 0870 170 4000
• www.papyrus-uk.org
• Samaritans
• 08457 909090
• www.samaritans.org
Advice sites
• There are a number of very dubious
advice sites around, covering topics
such as:
– Pro-anorexia
– Self harm
– Drugs and alcohol
CyberSafety tips for children
• Be very careful about taking advice from websites - unless
there's a section telling you who runs the site and what
their expertise is, they may not have any
• Some sites, particularly those with teenage forums, can
give dangerous advice
• The people trying to help may be well intentioned but if you
need the best help you can get
• Don't take any medical advice from a website
• The website owner should always be happy for your parents
or carers to know that you're contacting them and should
never offer to do anything on your behalf without your
parents knowing about it