Safety and Protection
I have focused on internet users starting at age 13 up to adulthood in previous blog posts around internet safety, but what about children who are under the age of 13? We all have seen children who are more proficient with using technology than the adults in their lives. When kids see how connected parents and caregivers are to the cell phones and devices, they learn the importance of those devices through observation and personal experience. Many have their own cell phones or, at least, access to a home or public computer. They text each other, post to their Instagram accounts, or play popular online games, such as Fortnite, Roblox, or Minecraft, to pass the time. (Prey Project, 2023) A funny story was when one of my friends two-year-old daughter took her Dad's phone from him and threw it in the toilet because it was distracting him from playing with her. At two-years-old she saw the impact and took it into her own little hands.
Photo Credit: Horus X
Safety for Students and Young Children
We've all seen a family that are each on their own devices while out at a restaurant. Parents and teenagers on their cell phones, children on tablets but how familiar are parents and caregivers with the content their children are using? Many people just click through the terms of service or accept the cookies without reading the fine print. When adults are guilty of this, how do we expect children to read through these policies with a fine tooth comb and understand what they are agreeing to? Children mimic adults when they see all they need to do is scroll to the bottom of the page and click accept or lie and put in a birthday old enough to use the site or app.
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| Photo Credit: Washingtonian |
Well, some good news for those of us out there living with or working with children, there are some safe guards put in place to help protect children under 13 who have access to the internet through school or public devices. While helpful, these protections and safety precautions won't create a magical bubble around the child and protect them from everything on the internet. It is always good practice to talk with them, monitor their usage, and teach them about cyber safety and being a responsibly digital citizen.
Working in a public entity such as a library, we offer many services to our customers. One of which is access to free public computers. The Naperville Public Library takes extra precautions when it comes to those under 13 accessing the internet. In their Internet and Computer Policy, they state "Computers in the children’s computer labs have filtered access to the internet in compliance with the Federal Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Filtering software is designed to prohibit access to inappropriate or harmful material, “hacking” and other forms of unlawful activity, unauthorized disclosure of personal information, and to protect safety and security when using direct electronic communications." The school district I live within and work regularly with at the library is Indian Prairie School District 204 (IPSD). District 204 offers a 1:1 technology program, which provides each student with a school issued Chromebook. Let's learn a little bit more about how privacy for children, particularly students is protected.
In the United States, the three most common laws which uphold student privacy and data security are: the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA), the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). When comparing what IPSD uses in their Student Data Protections under the law, we see that the first three listed are the same as our top list above but what do these law do for the child in your life?
1. Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)
According to the Department of Education, the Family Education Rights & Privacy Act is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education.
FERPA gives parents certain rights with respect to their children's education records. These rights transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of 18 or attends a school beyond the high school level. Students to whom the rights have transferred are "eligible students."
2. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
According to the Federal Trade Commission, the COPPA Rule was put in place to protect kids’ personal information on websites and online services - including apps - that are directed to children under 13. The Rule also applies to a general audience site that knows it’s collecting personal information from kids that age. COPPA requires those sites and services to notify parents directly and get their approval before they collect, use, or disclose a child’s personal information.
3. Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)
According to the Federal Communications Commission, CIPA imposes certain requirements on schools or libraries that receive discounts for Internet access or internal connections through the E-rate program – a program that makes certain communications services and products more affordable for eligible schools and libraries. They must certify that they have an Internet safety policy that includes technology protection measures. The protection measures must block or filter Internet access to pictures that are: (a) obscene; (b) child pornography; or (c) harmful to minors (for computers that are accessed by minors).
Schools subject to CIPA have two additional certification requirements: 1) their Internet safety policies must include monitoring the online activities of minors; and 2) as required by the Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act, they must provide for educating minors about appropriate online behavior, including interacting with other individuals on social networking websites and in chat rooms, and cyberbullying awareness and response.
Therefore, it is up to us to help educate and protect the children in our lives as they traverse the internet. See below for some additional resources to help you learn more about what technologies children are using, their protections broken down further, how to have difficult conversations with your children, and benefits for using technology in a classroom setting.
Resources for Parents, Caregivers, and Educators
- YouTube Video - Parent University: Chromebooks by Indian Prairie School District 204
- Topics covered include an overview of Chromebooks, including basic functions, and Google tools students will use during the school year.
- Blog - Three Crucial Online Student Privacy Laws by Nicholas Poggi
- Get a deep understanding of the main student privacy laws that keep data safe in the digital classroom. Learn how these regulations work and what they mean.
- Article - How Babies Learn and Why Robots Can't Compete by Alex Beard
- Follow along as Deb Roy and Rupal Patel observe their child and code a robot to learn through AI. Reviewing literature on how kids do it, and create a blueprint for building their language and learning robots.
- YouTube Video - Abigail Gewirtz: When the World Feels Like a Scary Place by Family Action Network
- While not technology related, a good video for parents on how to have tough conversations with kids. Here Dr. Gewirtz explains how world events can affect parenting, why a parent’s background and personal experience affect their responses to stress, and how a parent’s anxiety transmits to their children.
- Article - Top 5 Benefits of Technology in the Classroom by Walden University
- According to the Pew Research Center, 92% of teachers said that the internet has a major impact on their ability to access content, resources, and materials. Here are some of the ways educational technology improves the classroom experience.
- Article - Internet Safety Tips for Children and Teens by the New York Public Library
- This tip sheet is in 12 different languages.
Sources:
Beard, Alex. (2018). How babies learn – and why robots can’t compete. The Guardian.
Department of Education. (2021). Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA). Department of Education.
Family Action Network. (2020). Abigail Gewirtz: When the World Feels Like a Scary Place. Family Action Network.
Federal Communications Commission. (2019). Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA). FCC.
Federal Trade Commission. (2011). Protecting Your Child’s Privacy Online. Federal Trade Commission.
Indian Prairie School District 204. Parent University: Chromebooks. ISPD.
Walden University. (2024). Top 5 Benefits of Technology in the Classroom. WU.
Thank you for the great resources and reminding us that often, children mimic what they see the adults in their lives doing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder that kids under 13 need protection online as well. There is not much focus on and there should be. Your resources section is also very helpful for caregivers and adults looking after children as librarians or teachers too.
ReplyDeleteThank you, MyLeah! It is interesting how the age for using technology creeps lower and lower but the protections in place really focus on older users starting around age 13. I'm so happy you enjoyed the resources! They are a great place to start for adults working with and interacting with children.
DeleteI love the resources you have provided! This makes me think that schools and libraries should have something on their websites with resources just like this. Perhaps a requirement. A place that parents and caregivers can learn how about internet and cyber safety. Also a resources specific for teachers on age appropriate cyber safety for their students. Just as we have the common core standards - something for cyber information as well. The internet is changing so quickly, and I think parents don't fully realize how much things have changed since they used the internet at their child's age. Therefore, having resources for the families is such a great idea. I think I may put together some resources for my parents to hand out in the beginning of the year in my welcome packet. Thanks for the awesome idea!
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley, this would topic would transition well into a parent/caregiver program held at a library to help those with children under 13 learn about what protections are currently in place and how they play a critical role along with educators and public representatives like librarians when educating children on how to be responsible online. I think we will see something mixed into future curriculums about digital citizenship and cyber safety as more schools transition to 1:1 technology. It isn't only just about reading, writing, and math anymore. That is a fabulous idea to create something to hand out at the beginning of the school year to help bring parents up to speed with how children are using the internet and social media. Great way to set the tone for your school year.
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