Recent incidents of cyber bullying have put online safety in the spotlight, but getting to know the rules can help keep children out of trouble.
First, it’s important to note that once you have an online profile, it is virtually impossible to turn back the clock, or erase embarrassing photos.
University of Guelph student Julia Kirouac was a victim of cyber bullying when she was just 15. Her ex-boyfriend posted a nude photo of her on Facebook.
“I was just completely devastated and embarrassed. It was horrible, it was the most horrible feeling in my life.”
And she’s not alone; a quick search brings up many embarrassing and racy photos that are easily accessible to anyone.
Cyber safety expert Rob Nickel says once you send a photo into cyberspace you can never take it back.
“All I can say to the kids when they say, ‘How do I do that,” I go, delete it and hope for the best, because that’s all you can do.”
He suggests parents start talking to young teens about what they post online very early.
“If you can start getting kids to start thinking about ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen if I do this,’ and expect it to happen…it will save parents a lot of headaches.”
Other experts suggest putting the computer in an area where use can be supervised by an adult.
Douglas Blakey, is the president of WatSec, a company that helps businesses with cyber safety.
They offer a course to help clients earn an ‘Internet driver’s licence,’ and he says clients often share the information once they go home.
“Think about sending an Internet message as if it’s a postcard, so anyone can see it, can read it, can act on it if they choose to.”
He says you should think of posting any photo online as making it available to the public.
Kirouac says she wishes she had known the consequences before sending out her photo, and believes parents need to talk to and monitor their children when they’re online.
