Communications Communique #4
Submitted by: Sandra Stajduhar
Dear League Sisters and Father Terry,
Years ago, my mother and her League sisters approached local merchants with concerns about magazines with questionable content being a) offered for sale and b) displayed where children/teens could see them. We’ve continued to protest as pornography and violence seem to dominate our world – in books, on television, on the internet, and now delivered right to our cell phones!
I’ve [linked] an article from Focus on the Family that sums up this latest concern. And, while we can protest to Telus, and we should protest, we must also be aware that other service providers do, or probably will, offer this ‘service’; some have new positions created for directors of adult content. Become informed, share the news, and make the powers that be aware of our concerns – and I think we had better pray even harder! [editor's note: Congratulations, B.C. members! Your action and prayers succeeded in removing this "service" from Telus cell phones!]
Resolution – 02.11 Responsible Internet Use for Children
It’s time to revisit this resolution – attached for easy reference, with some information on online safety. Also is information on children’s sites that may not be offensive in content, but may lead to other problems and costs. Remember, be aware of what your children/grandchildren access on the internet.
While there are other issues (like who has access to “Salt & Light”, and the age of consent, and television content…), please concentrate on the cell phone pornography topic and get members to write/call Telus. [editor's note: Congratulations, B.C. members! Your action and prayers succeeded in removing this "service" from Telus cell phones!]
Love and prayers,
Sandra S.
[Feb08/07 Enclosure with CWL BC/YK Provincial Communications Communique #4]
Click for Resolution BC02.11 Responsible Internet Use for Children
Take Back The Net – Worry Less About Online Safety
It’s time to TAKE BACK THE NET and give your children every opportunity to explore the Internet safely. When it comes to your kids you’ve got enough to worry about, the Internet shouldn’t be one of them.
According to a recent Microsoft Canada and Ipsos Reid survey 72% of parents are confident that their own child age 10-14 uses the Internet safely. But did you know that”¦
- 30% of children age 10 – 14 spend 6-10 hours a week online
- 11% of children age 10-14 have been asked by a stranger for personal information
- 7 in 10 children believe the information they put online and send to friends is private
It’s time to TAKE BACK THE NET and help your children explore the Internet safely. You’ve heard all about the potential risks – so find out about the few simple rules that will keep your child’s Internet experience, safe, rewarding and fun. Microsoft Canada is inviting parents and their children between the ages 10-14 to attend a free presentation called TAKE BACK THE NET. Former Police Officer, Internet safety expert and father Paul Gillespie will explore some common online misunderstandings and provide basic tips to help protect your children while they’re online. For information about TAKE BACK THE NET presentations in your city please check back here for details.
Cyberland Developments
Fr. John Pungente of the Jesuit Communications Project in Toronto has long been one of, if not the premier teacher of media literacy in Canada for decades. His alumni includes people like Kevin Evans, former CBC anchor, and many other media professionals of conscience. He sent out this note on what appears to be a relatively new development in “cyberland”. The response from a teacher (below Fr. John’s) helps contextualize the threat this could represent to our younger teen children and grandchildren.
“Today marks the launch of Nicktropolis.com, Nickelodeon’s new virtual world where kids can create their own avatars, and personalize their own rooms by using points to purchase accessories. With their avatars, kids can travel through the Nicktropolis world playing games, interacting with the network’s characters and the environment, as well as other kids all in real time. The new stand-alone site is targeted to kids in general, but the network expects that it will be Tweens 9-14 that will spend time in Nicktropolis, because the younger ones don’t have as fully developed reading skills, and young teens tend to be more attracted to games. Nicktropolis will launch without any advertising, though Nickelodeon is planning to explore a variety of different advertising content. Kid safety being an obvious concern, Nicktropolis has several built in checks and balances including supplying a parent’s email address upon registering for the site. Parents then have to approve their child’s membership and even then they can manage the specific settings ( e.g. not allowing them to take part in live chats). Other safeguards include no sharing of personal information, a regularly updated dictionary of approved words/phrases for use on the site, and a trigger that can be used if a user finds themselves in any interaction where they feel uncomfortable. The site features four unique areas where kids can take their avatars: Nickname Lane where kids create own rooms; The Pier, a play area with games; Nicktoon Boulevard where they can visit with Nickelodeon characters and interact in a show’s world; Downtown Nicktropolis, a main shopping street with a parks and stores.”
John J. Pungente, SJ
Jesuit Communication Project
“Hello (fellow media literacy teachers),
This sounds like a copycat of a site called Habbo www.habbo.com. The problem with Habbo is that the kids have to buy credits with real money in order to get things for their rooms and other areas. (On this new site how do the kids get the points in order to buy accessories for their rooms?) The kids can either buy the credits at stores like they would buy a phone card ($5 worth etc.) or they can give a credit card number online or over the phone. I have seen cases where kids have spent thousands of dollars in a few hours or days buying stuff for their habbo rooms in order to attract more “friends” and traffic – which then becomes a status symbol. This has bled out into the classrooms where the kids are only talking about who got what into their habbo rooms; how many friends / visitors came to their habbo rooms; and therefore who they met and entertained in the virtual habbo rooms. Also they talk about what they did in the other areas of the habbo hotel where it becomes a contest as to how many credits they spent where and what they got for it. One parent was able to get the charges from his credit card removed because the child was under 14 years of age but another parent of a 16 year old was stuck with the bill of a few thousand dollars – the parent would not admit to how much his child had charged to the card before he discovered the charges.”
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