How parents can help their kids deal with online world
By Mark Boslet; Mercury News
Popular social-networking sites Facebook and MySpace have made news recently for all the wrong reasons: Authorities allege sex offenders lurk on these Web destinations looking for young users.
Click here to read the full story
Monday, August 6, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
A third of US teens have been bullied online
Nearly a third of US teenagers have been bullied online, according to research from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The research firm found making private information public is the most common type of cyber-bullying.
Some 13% said someone had spread a rumour about them online while the same number claimed they had been sent a threatening or aggressive email, IM, or text message. Also, 6% of respondents said that someone had posted an embarrassing picture of them online without their consent.
Research revealed that girls are more likely to be bullied online than boys - 38% of girls claimed to have been bullied compared to 26% of boys. Older girls are more likely to report being bullied than any other age and gender group, with 41% of online girls aged 14-17-years-old reporting such experiences.
The research coincides with a BBC Panorama investigation, due for broadcast in August into online bullying. Some ad networks were caught up in this investigation after brands such as Ebay and easyCar appeared alongside videos of street fights on US-based site PSFights.com (Source: www.nma.co.uk).
Monday, June 25, 2007
Article today ay the Guardian (UK)
Teenage networking websites face anti-paedophile investigation
· Children posting indecent photographs on internet
· Fears that material will be exploited by abusers
Paul Lewis
Monday July 3, 2006
The Guardian
Networking websites that have attracted millions of young users are to come under scrutiny from anti-paedophile investigators amid growing concerns that children are unwittingly providing material for potential abusers. The government-backed watchdog the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre will say today it has begun an inquiry into the sites after concern from teachers and parents.
They have become alarmed at how children are using the sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Friendster and now bebo to display personal details and, in some cases, intimate photographs of themselves. It is estimated that 61% of UK children aged 13 to 17 have a personal profile on a networking site, which enable a user to create their own homepage, exhibit photographs and socialise online.
Of the 8 million children in the UK with access to the internet, one in 12 says they have gone on to meet someone whom they initially encountered online. Police say more than 50,000 sexual predators are thought to be online at any one time.
The latest site to come under scrutiny - bebo.com - organises networks around school or college communities, and has attracted 25 million members since its launch 18 months ago. A minority of children, some as young as 13, have begun showing pictures of themselves in sexual poses, semi-naked or wearing lingerie. One headteacher has called in police after discovering more than 700 of her students had signed up with bebo, and that some were displaying images she considered to be indecent. Linda Wybar, headteacher of Tunbridge Wells girls' grammar, also banned the site from her school and wrote to every parent about her concerns.
"Most girls who have registered have included a potentially dangerous amount of personal detail, including full names, forms, names of friends and, perhaps most worryingly, a photograph. Some of these photographs could only be described as soft pornography, when viewed by the wrong people," she wrote in a letter. "We feel this lays the girls open to potential paedophiles."
The Guardian accessed the "schools" section of bebo in less than a minute, and found several indecent images of children under 16. Some girls who have posted their details have also devised a system of adding links to the registered usernames of men who have approached them.
In a statement, the company said: "Bebo has taken the issues of privacy and safety very seriously since its inception and was one of the first social networking sites to partner with organisations like wiredsafety.org to create safety tips on issues such as cyberbullying and online safety. We prominently post links to these safety tips for parents and Beboers on our homepage and all profiles have a 'report abuse' link where members can report other members for inappropriate content or behaviour."
Two weeks ago a 21-year-old media student from Surrey became the first person to be convicted of child grooming offences after one of his victims reported his online advances to an internet policing unit, the Virtual Global Taskforce.
Lee Costi was arrested after arranging to meet a 14-year-old at a railway station for sex. By the time police intervened he had already enticed and had sex with two other girls, aged 13 and 14. He had met his victims in the chatroom of the website teenspot.com.
The Internet Watch Foundation, a self-regulatory body founded by the industry to encourage individuals to report illegal activity, confirmed that the watchdog has also received complaints about the sites.
"The issue tends to arise when children post an indecent image of themselves, unaware of the types of people who can look at them," said a spokeswoman.
Ahead of today's announcement by the Ceop, which was set up by the government two months ago, the head of the agency, Jim Gamble, told the Guardian: "We've got a specific interest in social networking sites simply because it is 'the' new phenomenon, it is how young people are coming together and capitalising on a range of different technologies. Basically, they're inviting friends to be members of private groups or inviting others to view public materials.
"In many ways that's a good thing for children, a great opportunity. In other ways it represents everything you see on the school playground - the only difference is that in this playground, there are no teachers or police or moderators to keep an eye on what's going on."
This is an edited extract of an internet chat on a social networking website that raised concerns at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
ST*R boy I'm horny J how u feelin?
Angelgurl (embarrassed) lets talk bout somfink else
ST*R boy cm on angel ... bet u is an angel. Turn on ur cam
Angelgurl k. but u turn it on 1st. I am an angel really!
ST*R boy cm on, b fun ... yeah. That's it, that's nice. U pretty.
Angelgurl fanks J
ST*R boy I wanna c more ... take that top off??
Angelgurl u rude
ST*R boy whats ur mobile? I'll send u a pic..
Angelgurl I can't give u that; my mum wud kill me.
ST*R boy wot kind of m8 doesn't give digits?? I can't take u out if u don't give me ur numbers.
Angelgurl my mum would be mad
ST*R boy ur mum's neva gonna knw. What happens between us stays between us right?
Angelgurl yea
ST*R boy cum on angel... show sum skin
Angelgurl ur 2 intense - turn on ur cam so I can c who u r.
ST*R boy it's broken - but I'll send u a pic if u give me ur mobile? How will u recognise me otherwise wen I come 2 urs??
Angelgurl u don't knw where I am
ST*R boy yeah I do angel. I know exactly who u r & where u r. I'm gona drive up 2 u now..
Angelgurl How can u drive - u 16??
ST*R boy Got my provisional
Angelgurl u lyin?? U 2 old 4 me?
ST*R boy nah angel. I'm perfect 4 u..
Angelgurl I'm going now. Ur weird.
ST*R boy I'll find u again angel - I wana chat more.
Angelgurl signs off
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Article today at the Wall Street Journal
I came across this morning a very enlightening article at the Wall Street Journal that talks about how parents can monitor kids in their own computers. I think all parents and educators should read it.
(You also have a video that explains the parental tools in detail)
Click here for reading the article/ watching the video:
Monitor Your Kids
(You also have a video that explains the parental tools in detail)
Click here for reading the article/ watching the video:
Monitor Your Kids
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Happy Mother’s Day!
Once again we, at GenMobi Technologies, are very happy to share with you our latest "Bee Safe" Tips, specially created for Mother’s Day with Special Advocacy Tips for Mom’s To Protect Kid’s in Cyberspace. We would also like to send our warmest regards to all mothers in the world! Happy Mother’s Day!
The Bee Safe Team
GenMobi Technologies, Inc.
Click here to view all safety tips
MOTHERS’ DAY: GenMobi Technologies Offers Cyber-Safety Tips to Mothers Worldwide
San Jose, CA, May 10, 2007 - GenMobi Technologies, a Silicon-Valley based provider of mobile technology announced today the release of its second “Bee Safe” Safety tips list. The “Bee Safe” campaign, which was launched this month, aims at raising awareness on how to better protect kids online and– the even faster growing market – on mobile phones.
Click here to read the press release
Click here to read the press release
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
In the News: German Press III
Einen besseren Schutz vor den Gefahren des Internets und des Mobilfunks sollen künftig Kinder und Jugendliche erhalten - das US-amerikanische Unternehmen GenMobi setzt sich dafür mit seiner globalen Kampagne Bee Safe ein.
Click here to read the article
In the News: German Press
Das US-Technologieunternehmen GenMobi hat mit 'Bee Safe' eine globale Kampagne für den Schutz von Kindern und Jugendlichen vor den Gefahren des Internets und Mobilfunks gestartet. Ein besonderes Augenmerk legt die Kampagne auf den Mobilfunkbereich, dessen Nutzung laut der Mobile-Youth-Studie 2006 http://www.mobileyouth.org schneller als das Internet wächst. Die Studie ergab, dass Mobiltelefone das am schnellsten wachsende interaktive Kommunikationsmittel für Kinder zwischen fünf und 19
Click here to read the article
In the News: Mobile Youth - UK
Parenting Tips for Keeping Kids Safe in using Mobile Phones (03 May 2007) - Below are a few very useful parenting tips from genmobi 1 Teach your kids not to give out their mobile number to anyone they don’t know. 2 Teach your child that the ...
Click here to read the article
In the News: Geek.com
We are very please with the how quickly the message resonated throughout the world and the response we got from this campaign and wanted to share with you some articles that mentioned what we're doing.
Geek.com
GenMobi Technologies offers mobile solutions, so naturally its campaign is because the fastest growing means of interactive communication for ages 5-19 is the cellphone. Considering how connected cellphones are with the Intenet, it's important that a child's safety in cyberspace is even more of a focus. Since the new Bee Safe campaign is international, tips will be translated into several languages such as Spanish, French, and Portugese. Lists will be offered on the GenMobi corporate site and Blog sites
Click here to read the entire article
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
GenMobi Technologies Launches Bee Safe - A Safety Campaign to Protect Kids and Teenagers in Cyberspace
San Jose, CA, May 2, 2007 - GenMobi Technologies, a global provider of mobile technology committed to children’s safety launches today the Bee Safe campaign to raise awareness on how to better protect kids online and – the even faster growing market – on mobile phones.
The campaign will provide tips to kids, parents, teachers, siblings and friends, and other interested parties on what to do in the event a child comes in contact with a cyber predator or bully. The Bee Safe campaign will combine the use of online and offline electronic communications that will be distributed to the media, school districts, child advocacy organizations, and legislators throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. In an on-going effort to raise awareness to a variety of communities, GenMobi Technologies will be distributing the Bee Safe Tips on topics such as:
>> Tips for Parents for Keeping Kids Safe in Cyberspace;
>> Tips for Teenagers;
>> Special Tips and Advocacy for Dads;
>> Partnering with Local Law Enforcement; and
>> Tips on How to Partner with Your Community.
Particular emphasis will be paid to mobile phones as social networking over mobile phones has become the fastest growing means of interactive communication for kids ages 5-19, according to MobileYouth ’06, a World Wireless Forum survey. Today, more kids communicate with their friends via written messages over the mobile phone to make social arrangements than they do using voice.
“With this increase of mobile use in the marketplace, it exposes kids to an even greater risk of coming into contact with a sexual predator, cyber bully or inappropriate content, and we want to help mitigate the risk to kids around the world,” says Michael J. Schultz, CEO of Silicon Valley based GenMobi Technologies.
The lists will be disseminated on the GenMobi Technologies corporate website, blogs and shared with children, parents and other interested parties internationally as the Bee Safe Tips will be translated into several languages, including Spanish, French and Portuguese.
About GenMobi Technologies, Inc.
GenMobi Technologies, Inc. offers mobile solutions in three areas of specialization within the Buzz™ Mobile Social Platform (MSP): CQR-ID™ (age-and-identity verification), CoP™ (Content Parser), and BAM™ (Browser Active Messaging) – individually available for licensing. Buzz™ MSP offers social networking, communication, and personalization of the mobile phone with bulletproof age-and-identity verification for kids ages 5-17. For more information on CQR-ID or other GenMobi Technologies, please check out www.genmobi.com or contact:
Marc Mullen
Director, Marketing
GenMobi Technologies, Inc.
2 North First Street, Suite 302
San Jose, CA 95113
t.: +1 (408) 674-3362
mmullen@genmobi.com
www.genmobi.com
Click here to read our press release on our website
Monday, April 16, 2007
Launching The Bee Safe Campaign
We, at GenMobi Technologies, are so pleased to share with you our Bee Safe Tips in an effort to promote kid and teen safety on the Internet and mobile phone. We are launching a global initiative of tips for kids, parents, teachers, school administrators, and child safety advocates on how to help educate on cyber safety. The tips will appear in four languages: English, Spanish, French and Portuguese.
We recognize that parents lag behind their kids in technology. So, in an effort to narrow the gap between very busy parents and cyber-savvy kids, we help to provide tools and resources that will help parents not only learn more about their children’s cyberspaces lives, but also learn how to be an advocate in their schools and communities.
Please know that our tips are yours to share. They are downloadable on our website and blog, and can be disseminated to anyone that you feel needs a little extra help in engaging in their kids cyber lives. We hope you find our Bee Safe Tips extremely useful.
Friday, April 13, 2007
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