Safety on the Net Presentation

Please take a look at the nearly final version of our Child Safety on the Net presentation. It's in Powerpoint and will be presented to all St. Louis WizKids participants, volunteers, staff, and caring adults who are invovled in our program. The slides will be adapted with varying verbal cues for the different age groups. All adults will also get a copy of our safety policies (which I'll have online soon). The presentation was prepared by Don Holt, from our partner, Computer Village.

For background, the first draft of this presentation was discussed on this blog back in December.

Don has also prepared a short article (in PDF format) on the importance of being attentive to child safety on the net.

Eager to hear your thoughts!

Comments

[Ana Sisnett]

Assuming it's not too late to comment, I appreciate that the suggestions on the slide show made previously were considered and incorporated (not that I expected otherwise!).

On the one-pager, I'd like to suggest having a stronger statement encouraging parents and other caregivers to learn more about the Internet, that they to need to know about safety precautions. Perhaps encourage them to come to classes, provide a link to a like Learn The Net, that kind of thing so that it's not just all ominous.

I think opening the message with the FBI is a bit heavy-handed for people that don't know about the Net. I think offering to be a resource, or showing clearly that the Center is also a resource would be a little more reassuring.

And, while I know the concern is for predators and strangers, it's important to point out that the signs outlined apply to anyone-- friends, neighbors, and others known to the children. It is, for example, illegal to show porn to a child or to view it in the presence of a child.

Then I guess at some point the slippery slope of filters will have to be addressed, again with a caution against developing a false sense of security.

As I write this, it occurs to me that my struggle with both the slide show and the one-pager is that they read like someone disconnected from the project partnership is presenting something a very delicate issue in an impersonal way, when, in fact, everyone is so very involved and connected to the youth and their families in so many ways. Yes, that's it...that's it....