INTERNET SAFETY - Threats To User Safety

In September 2006, ABC News reported on a survey prepared by I-Safe.Org. This 2004 survey of 1,500 students between grades 4-8 reported:

42% of kids have been bullied while online. One in four have had it happen more than once.

35% of kids have been threatened online. Nearly one in five had had it happen more than once.

21% of kids have received mean or threatening e-mails or other messages.

58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than four out of ten say it has happened more than once.

58% have not told their parents or an adult about something mean or hurtful that happened to them online.

A 2006 survey by Harris Interactive reported:

43% of U.S. teens having experienced some form of cyberbullying in the past year.

Similarly, a Canadian study found:

23% of middle-schoolers surveyed had been bullied by e-mail

35% in chat rooms

41% by text messages on their cell phones

Fully 41% did not know the identity of the perpetrators.

CYBER-STALKING:

Cyber-Stalking is use of the internet or other communication electronics to "stalk" someone online.

Cyber-Stalking can lead to dangerous situations like being held against there will or being assaulted etc.

GROOMING:

Another threat to user safety is Grooming, this consists of an older person going onto chatrooms etc. and persuading the younger underage users to meet up in person for sexual intentions. This is illegal.

Along with assault there can also be a new thing called "sexting" in which is where someone asks an underage person to take sexually revealing pictures of themselves and sending them to the person who asked. The danger with this is that the picture might be forewarded or sent to someone else by accident who they do not want to see the picture's and might post them up on the internet.

INNAPROPRIATE/ABUSIVE BEHAVIOUR:

Another form of threat to the user is Inappropriate or abusive behaviour. This can consist of swearing, threats and insulting the user into being scared of the person, which in some cases can end in disastrous complications.