August 25, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 13 �������������� Millions of people, including school children, use a computer, mobile phone, or another digital device to participate in social networking sites. This combination has the potential to be dangerous. The ����������������������������� information being shared or the “friends” on the other end ������������ of the connection may lead to trouble for unsuspecting individu�������������������� als. According to ComScore data, Facebook now commands 41 percent of all traffic on social-destination sites. Myspace, ������������������ Gmail and Twitter follow. Parents who are unaware of these modes of communication should educate themselves to protect their children. While some of these sites have age requirements, many younger children are circumventing this requirement by lying about age -- something that is difficult to verify online. Perhaps most disturbing, some adults are masking their ages to target children. Many kids are logging in every day to chat. According to 2006 studies by Pew Internet Although parents may feel out-paced by Research, 38 percent of respondents ages their technologically savvy children, it 12 to 14 said they had an online profile of is important for them to be informed and some sort, and 42 percent said they logged involved in their children’s online interacin each day to chat with friends. Because tions. this research was compiled four years ago, Here are some steps parents can take to it’s likely the percentage of students online make the process fun but safe. is now much higher. Discuss privacy. Adolescents may think Children may not realize what is safe that only their friends will view their priwith regard to social-networking sites. vate information. While privacy settings Protect children’s online privacy by being informed on social networking sites can be established, if a child befriends someone he or she thinks is safe, that person will have access to information, too. Certain information, such as social security numbers, addresses, birthdays, account numbers, etc. should never be made public on a site. Talk about sexual predators. No parent wants to think about an individual preying on his or her child. But the Internet is home to many sexual predators who use social networking sites to target victims. Parents should inform their children not to accept friend requests from individuals they don’t know. While this may seem to counter what the sites were designed to do, it’s better to be safe than have a long list of friends. Remember that information cannot be taken back. Inform children that once information is shared online, it has a funny way of always remaining somewhere in cyberspace. It is very difficult to delete information once it has been shared; there is a digital record of it. Also, even if a child removes himself or herself from a social networking site, it’s safe to assume that his or her information is still being stored in a database. Do not post any information you wouldn’t want everyone to see. Social networking sites are not private places. Language, photos, and information may be seen by a larger audience. Therefore, if a child wouldn’t feel comfortable swearing in front of his or her teacher, that kind of language should not be used online. What’s more, some social networking sites make limited profile information available to advertisers and target marketers. There are few secrets online these days. View children’s pages. It’s a good idea to see what children are doing online. There are parental monitoring software programs that can limit certain websites or track surfing. Also, a parent can simply ask to view a child’s social networking page to check on friends and activity. ������������������������������ ���� ��������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ ����� �������� ��������������������� � ����� ��������������������� ������ ������������ �������������������������������������������������������������������������� � ����������������������� ���� � � ��������������������������������� ���������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������� �������������������������� � ��� New School of Dance Arts ����������������������� When ���������������������� I grow up…. I may not be a ballet dancer, but I will have “gained” much from my dance classes at NSDA – self-confidence, focus, friendships, appreciation for the arts, a healthy attitude towards exercise - all while having a very positive experience. �������� ������ �������������� �������������� ��������������� ���������������������������������� �������������������������������� ����������������������������������� ����������������������������� We have been teaching dance for 35 years, but it is so much more than that! Give us a call at 201-444-3929 ���������������� ����������������� ������������������ ������������ Studio is Open for In-Person Registration Beginning August 17 Through September 9 Tuesdays/Wednesdays from Noon – 4:30pm & Thursdays from 10:30 – 1:00 16 & 18 Godwin Plaza, Godwin Avenue, Midland Park, NJ 07432 www.newschoolofdancearts.com Directors/Teachers: Ann Clark Van Hine & Carol Ferro Maffei Teachers: Jes Kelly & Dena Malarek