Photo credit: Tanya Ryno
A special panel, charged with evaluating technologies for protecting children from online dangers, concluded that technology alone, including various age-verification technologies, is not enough to protect children and that parental supervision is vital.
The panel played down fears of Internet sexual predators who target children on social networking sites, while playing up others dangers such as online bullying. The panel said cases of predators usually involve minors who are quite aware they are meeting an adult for sexual activities.
The panel said technology can be part of the effort to protect minors online, but Internet companies should not rely on technology alone. Parents, teachers, and the minors themselves are an important part of ensuring online safety for kids.
The panel was criticized by some for relying on “outdated and inadequate” research to downplay the threat of predators. Others agree with its conclusions that kids are at risk because they put themselves at risk rather than because they are tricked, and technology isn’t enough to address that.
Not surprisingly, companies that make age-verification technologies were among the panel’s top critics.
Bottom line: the best way to protect our children is to discuss internet safety with them at a young age and establish a few basic rules such as never sharing their full name or their home address online.
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I agree. More parents need to take a hands-on approach and not rely completely on technology to protect their children. Technology can be a big help to be sure, especially if it facilitates good conversations and openness in the home, like accountability software:
Is Filtering All There Is? Introducing Accountability Software.
The only answer to the problem raised in this article is by using online age verification systems such as the biometric age verification online, in real-time, provided by VerificAge (www.verificage.com):
- It establishes full segregation between adults and children online
- Does not use any kind of data base. Eliminating risks involved in storing and maintaining data.
- It does not identify the user personally but rather his/her age group category; therefore, the user’s privacy cannot be jeopardized.
- The system is based on a “one time” biometric measurement that can distinguish a child from an adult with a very high accuracy rate.
- It can assert a user’s age every time he wishes to access a website, content, or while interacting with others
It seems that VerificAge’s solution is going to change the surfing culture on the Net and increase dramatically children’s safety online.
@ Luke and @ odedy: thank you for your feedback and for the info.