I would like to give a special "thank you" to Sister Teresa Ballisty, IHM, principal at St. James School for her wonderful article in this month's school newspaper the "Scan". As sister pointed out, the use -- or rather potential misuse -- of the Internet is a great concern. It is not that we do not trust our children, rather that the world is much more dangerous than they realize -- and sometimes more dangerous than we realize as well.
Sister Ballisty said that parents should be alert to what their children are doing while on the computer, what they are posting on the Internet, and with whom they are communicating. This caution can not be overstated.
According to the article cited by Sister Ballisty, "Teen's Bold Blogs Alarm Area Schools" Washington Post, January 17, 2006, Page A01, "In recent weeks, several Washington area schools have taken action against the use of blog sites, in particular Facebook.com but also the sites MySpace.com and Xanga which allow teenagers -- and sometimes younger children -- to post details of their lives for all to see." Anyone can get the most personal details about the lives of our youth from these sites, if the children post there.
In fact, on February 3, Dateline NBC aired the third of their yearly series "To Catch A Predator" (which will be replayed on MSNBC on February 10, Friday at 10 p.m. ET and February 11, 2 a.m. ET.
In this episode, Dateline NBC along with the Internet watchdog group Perverted Justice, caught 50 child predators in only 3 days on sites such as those mentioned above, and particularly myspace.com. One of the child predators was a high school teacher.
But, it is not only child predators the we must worry about when children are online, it is pornography as well. According to USA Today, children are encountering pornography more frequently and at much younger ages -- at ages when they are not able to understand and to deal with what they are encountering.
Indeed, even many adults can not "deal" or "cope" with pornography and find themselves helplessly addicted. Addicted with something that can be so socially embarrassing that they refuse to discuss it or to seek help out of fear that there reputation will be irreversibly harmed. Many marriages are suffering because of this. The Serenellians in the state of Washington have a site devoted to this subject.
How can we deal with all of this? The parish has negotiated a Web Filter Service at a reduce rate that provides filters for 5 computers in your home and 5 filtered e-mail accounts. This service does not the kind of filters that you must update like CyberPatrol or Net Nanny, but a filter that resides on the Internet between your computer and the sites that you and your children visit. This filters is continuously updating and operates independent of your ISP. So, regardless of how tech-savvy one is, they can not by-pass the filter without the password! And, for those suffering from addition, for no additional fee, the service includes the option of a "lock-out" so that you cannot bypass the filter without first calling the filter company. This is the same filter used by many corporations and public libraries. In addition to filtering out pornography, this filter can also be set to block chat rooms and sites with similar content. (By the way, the parish doesn't make a profit from the filter service -- and neither do I. I set the service up because I have children that I want to protect and I use the filter on their computer.)
But a filter is not the complete answer. While a filter can help protect you and your family at home, what about when your children are away -- at school, at the library, at friends' homes? For these events, we must teach our children about the dangers of the Internet and how to use it responsibly. We must let them know what information they should always protect -- when they are online or offline. And, don't forget -- pray for our children!
If you have questions on the Internet and how to make it safer for you and your family, just post your question in the comment section below and I will be glad to reply; and where I don't know the answer, I will find out for you.
May God bless you and your family,
In Christ,
Bob Bean, TOP
webmaster@stjamescatholic.org
References:
Teens' Bold Blogs Alarm Area Schools
Uninhibited Online Remarks Full of Risks, Officials Warn
By Tara Bahrampour and Lori Aratani
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, January 17, 2006; Page A01
To Catch a Predator III
Dateline's ongoing hidden camera investigation into computer sex predators
grown men, trolling the Web for sex with minors. This time, police are making arrests
Porn 'tidal wave' puts parents to test
By Janet Kornblum, USA TODAY
January 29, 2006
The Serenellians
