Students Sound Off about Online Safety

Contributed by: BNetSavvy

Students in teacher Amy Lutes’ business computer classes at Hampshire High School in Hampshire, Illinois, shared their thoughts on technology and safety with bNetS@vvy. Here’s what a few students had to say, unedited. We hope these can spark discussions with the young people in your life.
I have used technology a lot in my life; it is what I base most of my information off of. From watching TV to always being on the computer it takes up most of my time. But without it most of society would be lost.

MySpace has taken over teen lives and has led to a big breakthrough in technology. Technology will be around forever and is a big part of the world now.

-    Connor M., high school freshman

Nowadays, kids seem to have many privileges. They all have cell phones and sit on the computer all day. Having their own phone is helpful for the parents. Kids can also call them in case of emergency or for whatever the problem is. It’s a way to help the parent know where their child is. Phones are safe as long as they know how to use them. But if they are giving out their phone number to random people, they could just be getting themselves into trouble.

Many parents worry that their children could be getting into trouble online. If they are chatting to people they do not know, they have a point. But with the computer programs we have, we can prevent that from happening. These programs keep hackers out and can prevent viruses from entering your computer. Many of these programs have parental controls so [parents] can limit the Websites their children are allowed to visit. They can be safe as long as the parents and teachers do something to prevent it.

- Juan M., high school senior

There was this one girl on MySpace from a school nearby who had problems on her account. She was only l4 years old and thought that no one could harm her on a Website. But there was this guy who wanted to know who she was and asked her to be his friend.   She accepted him and he looked through her MySpace page and found out all of her information.   Then he went to her house and luckily her parents were home because he was going to do something bad.  She was one of the lucky people.   Her parents told her to delete her MySpace or hide her information. I think parents and everybody should know the [dangers].

- Dylan N., high school freshman

There are many ways I am technology-safe. If I have a password for anything (computer, phone) I do not give it out. At school, in order to log on you need to put in your student ID. No one knows my student ID.   Another way I protect myself is by putting a lock on my phone. You cannot listen to my voicemail or read my texts unless you put the code in.

My main focus is staying safe on my computer. It is very easy for a predator to find out what you look like and where you live. … So I do not have a MySpace and I don’t let my friends post pictures or information about me on theirs. I think it is very stupid to put where you live out on the Internet. It is so unsafe and could lead to terrible things. Young people need to be made more aware of those things.

- Tia I., high school freshman

The Internet offers no privacy. MySpace  … is a fun Website that keeps friends in touch through comments, pictures and messages. Millions of people access Myspace every day, and while they think they’re safe with their personal email addresses, login and password, there are still those pesky Internet hackers that are able to break into your account and access personal information. Teens are getting kicked off their sports teams because of pictures and inappropriate material they have on their profiles.

Be smart about what you put on the Internet, because you never know who is looking at what you have on there.

- Ashley M., high school junior

Friends online [are not always] who they say; their brothers or sisters or even parents have talked to me. Also, there are people that I never even saw before who wanted to be my friend … but I knew that was not safe. My parents taught me never to talk to strangers so I would block them.

I knew this girl who decided to meet a 16-year-old guy who she thought was really cute and she was smart because she took her older brother with her and he ended up being an old weird guy. She was one of the lucky ones. But there are so many kids like her who need to be more careful when they are on the Internet. That’s why they should make a program to help younger children not talk to strangers even when they are on the Internet because they may feel close to them, but they still don’t personally know who they are talking to.

-    Dollie B., high school freshman

Do not give out any personal information like passwords, home address and phone number. These can hurt a person’s life forever. You can have all the information on your computer stolen if you’re not careful enough.  One way to protect yourself from this is have your Internet set to max security. Another way is to set your wireless router security. Also, block sites that have cookies or pop-ups.

-    Michael K., high school freshman

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The students who shared their perspectives range in age from 14 to 17 and attend Hampshire High School in Hampshire, Illinois.