9781422288337

Navigating Cyberspace

Bully on Campus & Online Drugs & Alcohol Gunman on Campus Natural Disasters Navigating Cyberspace

Peer Pressure & Relationships Protecting Your Body: Germs, Superbugs, Poison, & Deadly Diseases Road Safety Sports Stranger Danger Terrorism & Perceived Terrorism Threats

Navigating Cyberspace

Kim Etingoff

Mason Crest

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D

Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2015 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3044-2 ISBN: 978-1-4222-3049-7 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-8833-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Etingoff, Kim. Navigating cyberspace / Kim Etingoff. pages cm. — (Safety first) Includes index. Audience: Age 10+ Audience: Grade 4 to 6.

ISBN 978-1-4222-3049-7 (hardback) — ISBN 978-1-4222-3044-2 (series) — ISBN 978-1- 4222-8833-7 (ebook) 1. Internet and children—Juvenile literature. 2. Internet and teenagers— Juvenile literature. 3. Internet—Safety measures—Juvenile literature. 4. Computer crimes— Prevention—Juvenile literature. 5. Safety education--Juvenile literature. I. Title.

HQ784.I58E85 2015 004.67’8083—dc23

2014003850

Contents

Introduction

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1. Real-Life Stories

2. What Makes Navigating Cyberspace Dangerous?

17 27 33 46 47

3. Staying Safe and Being Prepared 4. What Can You Do to Stay Safe?

Find Out More

Index

About the Author & Consultant and Picture Credits

48

Introduction N o task is more important than creating safe schools for all children. It should not re- quire an act of courage for parents to send their children to school nor for children to come to school. As adults, we must do everything reasonable to provide a school climate that is safe, secure, and welcoming—an environment where learning can f lourish. The educational effectiveness and the strength of any nation is dependent upon a strong and effective educational system that empowers and prepares young people for meaningful and purposeful lives that will promote economic competitiveness, national defense, and quality of life. Clearly adults are charged with the vital responsibility of creating a positive educational cli- mate. However, the success of young people is also affected by their own participation. The pur- pose of this series of books is to articulate what young adults can do to ensure their own safety, while at the same time educating them as to the steps that educators, parents, and communities are taking to create and maintain safe schools. Each book in the series gives young people tools that will empower them as participants in this process. The result is a model where students have the information they need to work alongside parents, educators, and community leaders to tackle the safety challenges that face young people every day. Perhaps one of the most enduring and yet underrated challenges facing young adults is bully- ing. Ask parents if they can remember the schoolyard bully from when they were in school, and the answers are quite revealing. Unfortunately, the situation is no better today—and new venues for bullying exist in the twenty-first-century world that never existed before. A single bully can intimidate not only a single student but an entire classroom, an entire school, and even an entire community. The problem is underscored by research from the National School Safety Center and the United States Secret Service that indicates that bullying was involved in 80 percent of school shootings over the past two decades. The title in this series that addresses this problem is a valu- able and essential tool for promoting safety and stopping bullying. Another problem that has been highlighted by the media is the threat of violence on our school campuses. In reality, research tells us that schools are the safest place for young people to be. After an incident like Columbine or Sandy Hook, however, it is difficult for the public, including students, to understand that a youngster is a hundred times more likely to be assaulted or killed

6

at home or in the community than at school. Students cannot help but absorb the fears that are so prevalent in our society. Therefore, a frank, realistic, discussion of this topic, one that avoids hysteria and exaggeration, is essential for our young people. This series offers a title on this topic that does exactly that. It addresses questions such as: How do you deal with a gunman on the cam- pus? Should you run, hide, or confront? We do not want to scare our children; instead, we want to empower them and reassure them as we prepare them for such a crisis. The book also covers the changing laws and school policies that are being put in place to ensure that students are even safer from the threat of violence in the school. “Stranger danger” is another safety threat that receives a great deal of attention in the modern world. Again, the goal should be to empower rather than terrify our children. The book in this series focusing on this topic provides young readers with the essential information that will help them be “safety smart,” not only at school but also between home and school, at play, and even when they are home alone. Alcohol and drug abuse is another danger that looms over our young people. As many as 10 per- cent of American high school students are alcoholics. Meanwhile, when one student was asked, “Is there a drug problem in your school?” her reply was, “No, I can get all the drugs I want.” A book in this series focuses on this topic, giving young readers the information they need to truly compre- hend that drugs and alcohol are major threats to their safety and well-being. From peer pressure to natural disasters, from road dangers to sports safety, the Safety First series covers a wide range of other modern concerns. Keeping children and our schools safe is not an isolated challenge. It will require all of us working together to create a climate where young people can have safe access to the educational opportunities that will promote the success of all children as they transition into becoming responsible citizens. This series is an essential tool for classrooms, libraries, guidance counselors, and community centers as they face this challenge.

Dr. Ronald Stephens Executive Director National School Safety Center www.schoolsafety.us

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Words to Know cyberspace: The Internet and everything online. chat room: A website made for people who want to talk with others about a certain topic. anonymous: Without a name or from an unknown person. discussion forum: A website or part of a website made for people to post messages to eachother talking about different topics in a group. pseudonym: A fake or made-up name.

Chapter One

Real-Life Stories

K atherine knows about cyberspace safety firsthand. She learned the hard way. Kath- erine shared her story with the Survivor Archives Project. Her story helps warn other people to be safe online. “Once upon a time,” she starts, “I had a great group of friends. They made me laugh, and made me feel loved and accepted. I was sixteen and in my junior year of high school. “Unfortunately in other parts of my life, I was very unhappy. I never talked to my friends about it, because I wanted to enjoy the time I spent with them, not spend it wallowing in self pity.” Katherine turned to the Internet to deal with her sadness. During the summer, she couldn’t see her other friends, and she was stuck at home. She was lonely, and her home life was stressful. She turned to the Internet for comfort. Soon, the people she met online seemed like her friends. Then she met someone in a chat room who made her feel special. He never told her how old he was (although he knew her age), but Katherine didn’t think much about it. She felt f lattered that he was so interested in her, and she confided more and more to him. No one had ever taught her to be careful of meeting strangers online. Soon, her new “friend” was making her pull further and further away from her family. He gave

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Don’t always assume that the people you’re communicating with online are who they say they are—people could pretend to be anyone when they’re on the Internet.

Navigating Cyberspace

10

her good reasons for separating herself from them, and Katherine was completely fooled by him. He made her feel intelligent and pretty; he made her feel as though she wasn’t so alone. Before long, he suggested that they meet in real life. Katherine agreed; she snuck out to meet him in secret, and then she continued to meet him at night, without anyone’s knowledge. Spending every night with this man meant that Katherine wasn’t getting her sleep. Her think- ing became confused. During the day, she fought constantly with her parents and her siblings. Once school started up again, her grades dropped. Her lack of sleep was making her feel as though she were in a dream all the time; she had a hard time telling what was real and what wasn’t. The man she had met online turned out to be forty-nine years old. Katherine was so confused by now that she decide to run away from him. She took a huge step with huge consequences. There was no going back. But she realized what an enormous mistake she had made. She left the man and went back home. Now this man used the Internet to attack her family. He wrote anonymous e-mails to her mother, threatening to kill Katherine. He spread rumors about Katherine. Katherine was filled with guilt that she had brought so much trouble to her family. She realized that her first mistake had been letting a stranger get so close to her online. Before she had even met him, she had revealed so much information to him that he could use it to manipulate her. Katherine is now teaching others about the dangers of cyberspace and giving them advice on how to stay safe. She hopes other young people will learn from her experience. “I want to send this message, and help people understand,” she writes. “PLEASE never meet anyone you first met online alone. DO NOT keep Internet friendships to yourself. Even if you just share the details with a friend, it could protect you, or even save your life.” Katherine’s not the only one who learned the hard way about the dangers of cyberspace. Two young men named Marcin and Calum shared their stories with Get Safe Online, a British organi- zation that is teaching people how to be safer online. Both boys wanted to get tickets to a soccer match, but they were having a hard time finding tickets. Marcin went to a fan site that included a discussion forum where all the users had pseud- onyms , instead of using their real names. He posted there that he was looking for tickets to the match. Someone responded that he had two extra tickets, which he would sell to Marcin for about $60 each. The person said if Marcin were interested, to give him a call by phone. So Marcin called the number. He told the person on the line that he would like to meet in person to get the tickets. He would pay cash for the tickets then. The seller said no, that wouldn’t work because he had to go away. In- stead, he would put the tickets in the mail once Marcin had transferred the right amount of money into his bank account. The seller seemed like an okay person. He had been posting regularly on the forum for almost a year and a half, which gave Marcin more confidence in him. Besides, Marcin was desperate to see the game. He transferred the money. Then he waited for the tickets to arrive in the mail. The days went by—still no tickets. Finally, Marcin tried to call the seller, but there was no answer. Marcin realized he had been scammed. He

Real-Life Stories

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Internet crime is one of the fastest-growing types of crime. As people use the Internet for more and more, there will be more opportunities for this type of crime.

Navigating Cyberspace

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There are many safe ways to transfer money over the Internet. If someone is asking for a direct bank transfer, it is possible that they are tricking you.

called his bank, but there was nothing the bank could do. The money had been put directly in the scam artist’s account. There was no way to get it back now. Meanwhile, Calum’s experience was suspiciously similar. He posted on the same fan site that he wanted two tickets to the soccer match. Someone responded that he had tickets to sell for about $60 each. Calum offered to meet up with the guy and pay him cash, but the seller said he had to go to a funeral. He gave Calum the same directions Marcin had received. Like Marcin, Calum trusted the guy. After all, they were fans of the same team! But again, days went by, and the tickets never arrived in the mail. About this time, Calum

Real-Life Stories

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There are many parts of Internet safety—but one of the most important is simply learning to recognize the kinds of things that might be dangerous and avoid them.

Navigating Cyberspace

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