LDS Media Talk

We’ve warned you before about phishing scams. Here’s a great video that explains phishing scams.

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The October 25, 2008 edition of the Church News contained a great article that warns parents of the risks of allowing children to navigate the Internet alone.

Online games today have real-life imagery, sound, and graphics, and allow youth to play with unknown people half way around the world. Parents should be aware of their children’s gaming practices to ensure they are healthy and not harmful.

Jill Manning, author of the book What’s the Big Deal about Pornography: A Guide for the Internet Generation, warns that Internet pornography is readily accessible and is much different from a photograph on the page of a magazine. With the click of the mouse, children can freely access a “seemingly infinite array of sexually explicit images that often incorporate sound, movement and are more explicit than pornography from past eras.”

Sister Manning warns that children and teens should not be left to have private interactions in the virtual world alone. Chat rooms often “lead participants into topics and discussions that they would not have with people in real life. Sex talk, racist slurs, homophobic statements and sexist and hateful language are commonly found in chat rooms.” In a chat room, you can’t tell the sexual predators, criminals, and disrespectful people from the wholesome, clean-cut people. Remember that people can represent themselves any way they choose online, making it impossible to really know who someone is. Never share personal information online. It is better to meet people in person, then use technology to nurture those friendships.

Parents should help young people understand the consequences of online choices. Although youth often feel anonymous online, they need to know that everything they do online gets saved somewhere.

It is critical to teach our children how to use technology in safe and beneficial ways. In the beginning, you may need to use monitoring software so you can see the sites your children visited and get copies of the e-mails they send. Children need a chance to practice using technology and get feedback from their parents.

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Neal Francom wrote a great article on LDSTech about Online Security Basics for You and Your Computer. He suggests best practices to keep you, your family, your coworkers, and your computer safer in the online world. His suggestions:

• Avoid infection. Update your computer regularly, and use an Internet firewall with up-to-date anti-virus software and anti-spyware.
• Don’t open files from strangers. E-mails and text messages can spread viruses and worms. Never open a file attached to an e-mail or an instant message unless you recognize the sender and are expecting the file. Don’t click on links in e-mail or text messages.
• Protect your security and your identity. Use strong passwords. Don’t use the same password for everything. Don’t share your passwords. Don’t write them down.
• Don’t leave your computer unattended. Power it off when you aren’t using it.
• Back up your data.
• Know the NO’s of social networking: no inappropriate or revealing media, no location information, and no contact information.
• Don’t use a wireless network unless it is encrypted and password-protected.

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Consistent with this Blog’s goal of discussing topics relevant to LDS parents and youth, as well as considering my professional field of Web analytics, I’d like to talk today about the growth of Facebook and how it relates to LDS families.  Facebook.com is one of the world’s most popular Web sites, particularly among youth and young adults, and has been a frequent topic of discussion at this blog (see What are social networks?, Watch Out Google, Here Comes Facebook, and 12 Ways to Share the Gospel on the Internet).

The Stats
According to comScore, Facebook recently took over MySpace as the leading social networking site, attracting 132 million visitors world-wide in June 2008.  In the US, Facebook’s popularity still trails MySpace, though Hitwise reports that Facebook saw a 40% growth in US market share over the last year while MySpace’s share declined.  Alexa reports that Facebook is 5th most popular Web site in the world behind Yahoo!, Google, YouTube and Windows Live.  Facebook has particularly high usage among teens and young adults; according to a 2006 study, Facebook was named the second most popular thing among undergraduate college students, and only ranked lower than the iPod.

What this Means for Parents and Leaders of Youth
Chances are that if you are a parent of a teenage or a youth leader, you are probably less technically savvy than the youth you work with.  Many parents and youth leaders I have spoken with don’t really understand what Facebook is and most have never visited the Web site.  I’m not advocating spying on your kids (I’ll leave that up to your own discretion) but I do think parents and leaders should visit Facebook and see what the youth are doing online. You will probably be surprised at what you find; pleasantly surprised in some instances, unpleasantly surprised in other cases.

My wife and I have worked with the youth in Church callings for years.  We love staying in contact with these youth that we came to care about so much and Facebook provides a great way to do just that.  It is so satisfying to see the youth that we remember as Deacons and Teachers, Beehives and Miamaids, growing up, entering college, going on missions, and marrying in the temple.  On the flip side, it is saddening to see the poor choices some of the youth are making, as reflected in the things they write on Facebook and the pictures they post.  

Like the Internet in general, there is much good and much evil easily available on social media Web sites such as Facebook.  Church leaders have stated that the Internet is a great tool for hastening the work of the Lord, but they have also repeatedly counseled members to avoid evils that are available on the Web.  Elder L. Edward Brown of the Seventy taught:  ”You have access through the Internet to resources one cannot begin to imagine. However, lurking there as well is a sinister evil, as deadly as a rapidly growing cancer…Self-discipline is required relative to the materials you choose to read and the videos you may select to view.” (”Bring Your Mission Home with You,” Ensign, Dec. 2000, 18).

Join In
I believe that by joining in this online social network, we parents and leaders can help, guide and protect the youth.  To sign up for a free Facebook account, simply go to Facebook.com and fill out the form on the home page. Once you’re in, browse around, see what it’s all about, and request friendships with your youth, family and other friends.  To learn more about how to create an account and connect with friends, check out A beginner’s guide to Facebook, or this Videos Series, “How to Use Facebook”, by eHow.com.

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In August, a Thai distributor halted sales of the video game Grand Theft Auto after a teenager confessed to robbing and murdering a taxi driver while trying to recreate a scene from the controversial game. Grand Theft Auto, now available in its fourth edition, has been criticized for depicting violence including beatings, carjackings, drive-by shootings, drunk driving, and prostitution.

In 2005, a multi-million dollar lawsuit was filed in Alabama against the makers and marketers of Grand Theft Auto, claiming that months of playing the game led a teenager to kill two police officers and a 911 dispatcher.

The American Psychological Association warns that violent video games can increase aggression, and, in fact, may be more harmful than violent television and movies because of the interactive nature of the games.

I think these are wake-up calls, but to do what?

• Should we encourage the government in tougher regulation of violent video games?
• Should the makers of video games implement stronger rating systems?
• Should retailers better enforce the sale of videos games to minors based on the ratings?
• Should parents pay closer attention to what their children play?
• Should parents restrict the number of hours that youngsters can play the games at home and in public arcades?

Do you have suggestions on how parents should handle these issues?

Read more about the effect of video games on crime and violence, sexuality, social development, and video game addiction.

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Internet users are becoming more aware of their own digital footprint. 47% have searched for information about themselves online, up from just 22% five years ago. However, few monitor their online presence with great regularity. Just 3% of self-searchers report that they make a regular habit of it and 74% have checked up on their digital footprints only once or twice.

60% of Internet users say they are not worried about how much information is available about them online, and most do not take steps to limit that information.

Why not google your own name today to see what information is available online?

Learn more by reading the Pew/Internet report “Digital Footprints: Online identity management and search in the age of transparency.“

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Read the latest newsletter from the Lighten Candle Society for a warning to parents of the potential danger that children and teenagers may be induced into accessing pornography on their cell phones. They talk about the phenomenon that is sweeping through junior high and high schools in the USA, where youth produce pornography and distribute it to other youth.

The reaction from Utah legislators? To introduce legislation that would reduce such action from a felony to a misdemeanor. Those most interested in seeing this legislation passed are the pedophiles who trade in child pornography. Rather than sweeping this problem under the carpet, we should confront it head-on with tough training and enforcement of the law so we don’t let juveniles exploit other juveniles or develop into adult pornographers.

Pornography is encroaching more and more into mainstream America in print, online, and even on cell phones.

Like the Lighted Candle Society, I am confident that the overwhelming majority of America wants to live in a society that is decent, dignified, and free of pornography. For such a society to exist, good and decent people need to stand against the ever-increasing encroachment of pornography available everywhere we turn.

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This Sunday is my turn to teach. Since I have the chance to choose whatever topic I feel will benefit the quorum, I decided to choose President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s talk from last April’s conference entitled A Matter of a Few Degrees. In his talk, he recounted a story of a large passenger jet that left New Zealand for a sightseeing flight to Antarctica. An error of two degrees in the flight coordinates placed the aircraft directly in the path of an active volcano. Unfortunately, by the time the pilots received the warning from the plane’s instruments, it was too late. The plane crashed into the side of the volcano, killing the pilots and all 257 passengers.

President Uchtdorf said: “The difference between happiness and misery … often comes down to an error of only a few degrees”. He also promised that the Lord will help us recognize and avoid these evils. He reminded us that we have the responsibility and the power of self-direction. And if we drift off-course, there is always a way back that is “certain and clear” and that is the Savior Jesus Christ.

So fill in the blank: what word, phrase, or thought would you replace “degree” with? Here’s what I have:

• A matter of a few clicks
• A matter of a few promptings
• A matter of a few channels
• A matter of a few thoughts

And on the positive side:

• A matter of a few minutes reading the words of the Prophets
• A matter of a few minutes making the Internet safer for me and my home

So what would you fill in the blank? How can you apply this in your life?

Gilbert Lee is a guest blogger and works as an interaction designer for the LDS Church. He is married to a wonderful woman and has three princesses for daughters.

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The Lighted Candle Society is one of the great organizations fighting pornography. They just launched a Web site PornographyStats.com, featuring detailed information on the pornography market, statistics on how pornography affects society, and an interactive guide to scientific literature about sexually-explicit material and the brain.

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My bishop asked me to talk today in a combined Relief Society, Priesthood, and Youth meeting about good resources on the Internet.

I decided to split the discussion into three areas:

• Avoiding the Bad
• Finding the Good
• Adding to the Good

I created a site that has links to everything I showed and discussed as well as the slides I used.  It might be a little out of context since you likely were not in attendance, but maybe you’ll find something helpful there too.  Enjoy!

http://someinternetinfo.bogusboy.net

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Teenagers typically feel they know much more about technology than their parents. But do they really understand the issues of security and privacy on the Internet?

It goes way beyond identity theft. What about computer ethics? What should your children do if they stumble across an adult site? Do they understand the risks of Internet predators? Youth often have to learn about the pitfalls of the Internet on their own because parents and schools tend not to know how to address the subject of security and privacy on the Internet.

“Every kid, when they reach a certain age, [should] have ‘The Talk’ with their parents,” said one16-year-old. “We need to have the same sort of discussion in terms of privacy. The majority of teenagers know about the sexual diseases out there because of this conversation that they have with their parents or because they have the talk in the school in sex ed. I think [security] needs to be addressed the same as well.”

A major problem for kids is that they are, in general, far ahead of their parents in terms of internet usage. Teenagers blog regularly, use instant messaging to keep up with their friends, and are usually able to circumvent any computer security measures at school, said a recent panel of five teenagers.

“I think it is hard for the parents and educators because we are moving at a different pace than they are… no offense,” said one teenager. “It feels like we are done and on to the next thing by the time other people are aware of it.”

Some students are still not aware of the dangers of an open blog under their real names that include many real life details. “If you want to give out your first name, then go ahead, nobody is going to stop you,” said one 17-year-old. “But you should know that there are [dangerous] types of people out there.”

The teenagers had mixed opinions on how much should be taught at school regarding Internet safety. Some believed that ethics in the digital world should be a required topic, while others thought that only basic safety should be taught. However, they did agree that parents and schools should be talking about the Internet with their kids far sooner than they do today - by the age of 10 at the latest, they said.

Sometimes it is tricky for parents to balance their fear for their children’s safety with what teenagers may see as violations of privacy.

“My mom has blocked the TV, the computer and I’m not allowed to listen to a lot of radio stations right now,” said one teen. “I really feel like she doesn’t trust me anymore. She hasn’t demanded my password, but I know that she knows it, and I’m pretty sure she has gone onto my computer.”

Many teens easily find ways around their parents’ security measures. Some have e-mail accounts that the parents don’t know about in order to protect their privacy. “My parents wanted to check my computer, so I stopped using that computer,” said a 17-year-old boy. “I use the computers at school. There are things that they don’t need to know.”

The general feeling among the teenagers, however, was that parents should talk about the issues with their kids. “The most important thing is don’t talk down to us,” said one young man. “For the most part, we are not dumb.”

Source: Teenagers want computer security lessons

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