PARADISE HILL, Sask. – Reporting offensive or inappropriate behaviour in on-line chat rooms to police can help prevent future abuses, says const. Scott Warnke of the RCMP detachment in Glaslyn, Sask.
Speaking to students at Paradise Hill School’s Wellness Day about the dangers of computer use, he told them to avoid talking to strangers and giving out personal information such as name, address, school name and phone number.
There are numerous ways to block unwanted chatters, but threats and sexually explicit language should not be ignored.
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“By not doing anything, you put the next kid in jeopardy,” Warnke said.
Written text or webcam conversations that include threats to kill are illegal and should be reported to parents and police immediately.
Warnke said that information could help track the callers’ movements and link them to similar cases elsewhere.
Internet abuses are difficult to police, but teams of officers are now working on such cases across Canada.
He advised students to tell their parents of anything that makes them uncomfortable or afraid on a site and show them what was written.
“Use the same standards as if you are with them in person,” he said.
Record what was written or said and also include the user name, site (Hotmail or MSN, for example) and time of day.
Like most of his Grade 7 class, student Darcy Weber is comfortable around computers, regularly accessing instant message services and chat lines.
“It’s a lot more quiet and harder to get interrupted (than the phone),” he said.
He protects himself by chatting only with friends who have given one another their computer signatures.
Weber said the chat line presentation gave him new insights into how deceitful people can be on-line by concealing their ages, identities and intentions.
“I will only go to people I know personally,” he said.
Ninety-nine percent of all Canadian children are using the internet and most schools are on-line, according to a 2001 media awareness survey.
Time on the computer has eclipsed hours spent in front of the television, with more than half of children reporting regular access to instant messaging services, said Lynda Erlandson of the school division based in Turtleford, Sask.
The computer and electronic media specialist spoke to parents about their role in curbing computer abuses.
She advised them to keep home computers in a common family area rather than in children’s bedrooms so that computer use can be better monitored.
Parents should sit with younger children, talking about how to remain safe on-line and explaining how others can listen in on chat rooms. Help them learn efficient ways to do internet searches, she added.
Parents should also know about the sites their teenagers are using, said Erlandson, who showed parents how to track recent sites that a computer has accessed.
Busy lifestyles often limit the amount of time parents can spend at the computer with their children, but it should remain a priority.
“They still need our guidance even though we don’t have a lot of time,” Erlandson said.
“We can help them out with our life experience and common sense.”
At the community level, she suggested information sessions like hers, called Parenting the Net Generation.
Erlandson recommended a number of kid-friendly websites and suggested parents check out the local library or websites such as www.bewebaware.com for more information.
Bonnie Mills Midgley of the Paradise Hill Home and School Association said Wellness Day is designed to increase awareness about topics such as chat lines, physical fitness, seat belt use and teens and the law.
“Its purpose is to provide an education and information day about a variety of wellness-related topics and to have fun too,” she said.
Through fundraising and sponsorships, the association was able to attract a host of experts from different fields, including former football player and motivational speaker Henry “Gizmo” Williams.
Midgley said the association plans to continue with the event, now in its fourth year. It will get help from students in choosing next year’s topics so that the day can be kept as exciting and interesting as possible, she added.
