An old adage tells us "Character is what you do when no one is watching." So it is with the
Internet. Online, people can feel invisible and capable of doing things they normally wouldn’t do
in person or in public - things that they know might be wrong. As the Internet becomes an
indispensable tool for everyday life, it is more important than ever to dust off the concept of
"citizenship" and apply it to the online world. Relatively new terms, "cyber citizenship", "cyber
ethics", and "netiquette" refer to responsible cyber social behavior. These terms refer to what
people do online when no one else is looking. As kids go online in increasing numbers, cyber
ethics is a critical lesson, especially since poor e-habits can start at an early age. Unfortunately, we
are learning all too well that children armed with computers can be dangerous and cause serious
damage and harm, regardless of whether they are being mischievous or trying to intentionally
commit cyber-crimes.
What is cyber ethics? And how do you teach it to your children? Simply put, cyber ethics is
a code of behavior for using the Internet. One easy way to think about cyber ethics and to address
the subject with children is this: acceptable behavior on the Internet is very much the same as
acceptable behavior in everyday life. For instance, at an early age, children learn what it means to
be honest, and to respect the rights and property of others. They are taught to not take what does
not belong to them, and to be considerate of others. On the Internet, the same basic rules apply.
The ‘Dos and don’ts’ or the difference between using and abusing the Internet have to be taught to
them.
Here are some helpful dos and don’ts pertaining to situations that children are likely to encounter.
1. Do use the Internet to help you do your schoolwork. The Internet is the world’s largest
library. You can find information on almost any subject from science, math and technology
to language, art, history, current events and more. When you use information, photos and
other materials that you find on the Internet in your homework or research projects, make
sure that you identify the sources of the information in footnotes.
2. Don’t copy information from the Internet and call it your own. It is sometimes tempting to
copy information from the Internet into your schoolwork, and to present it as your own
work. That is dishonest, just like taking someone else’s jacket and calling it your own. And
it might be illegal, too. Much of the information, pictures and other materials on the
Internet is copyrighted, which means it belongs to someone else. If you take it without
permission, or without identifying the source in a footnote, you are breaking the law.
Music, video, games and copyrights.
3. Do use the Internet to learn about music, video and games. There are many websites where
you can learn about music by listening to sample tracks, preview movie videos, and learn
about new computer games.
4. Don’t use the Internet to download or share copyrighted material. When something is
copyrighted, it means that someone else owns it, and you cannot copy or distribute it
without their permission. It is dishonest and illegal to download copyrighted music, video,
games or other materials. It is also dishonest and illegal to share copyrighted music, video,
games or other materials over the Internet. When you see this symbol—©—it means that
the material is copyrighted.
5. Do use the Internet to communicate with friends and family. Email and instant messaging
(IM) are good, fun ways to communicate with your friends and your family. Always make
sure that you know the people with whom you exchange email and IM.
6. Don’t use the Internet to communicate with strangers. Do not use email or IM to talk to
strangers. They may not be who they say they are, and if they are not, they are not nice
people. Don’t give out your email or IM address to people you don’t know, either online or
in person. Don’t open email or email attachments from people you don’t know. Unsolicited
email may contain viruses that will damage your computer and the information on it.
7. Don’t pretend to be someone else. Just as you don’t want others to hide their true identity
when they email or IM you, don’t pretend to be someone else when you’re online.
8. Don’t be rude or use bad language. When you use email or IM, be considerate of others.
Don’t be rude, mean or use bad language. You wouldn’t do that in real life, and you
shouldn’t do it on the Internet either.
9. Don’t give anyone personal information or passwords. Don’t tell people, especially
strangers, more about yourself than you would if you met them in person. Don’t tell them
what you look like, your age, where you live, your phone number, what school you go to,
or any passwords that protect your computer or your private information.
10. Don’t leave your children unsupervised. Make sure you know what sites your children visit
when they’re on the internet, and with whom they’re communicating. Look over their
shoulder. Keep track of the websites they visit. There are websites and programs available
that direct children to sites that are fun, interesting and appropriate. And there are others
that restrict their browsing to appropriate websites. The best control, however, is parental
involvement. Make sure they understand acceptable behavior on the Internet. And make
sure they follow the rules.
11. Do encourage your children to use the Internet. The Internet has a lot good things to offer
children. When used wisely, it is a great tool for information gathering and learning.
