Infosec Experts are Obvious Solution to Keeping Kids Safe Online

Last week, I attended our first Safe and Secure Online presentation in Canada. Six (ISC)² members from Scotiabank (thank you, Blair Campbell, Keith Parsons, Mike Lau, Rob Knoblauch, Adam Evans and Jason Sachowski!) reached roughly 400 kids in 4 schools across Toronto.

In the first session of the day, following the cyber bullying video in the presentation about a boy named Joe, when asked the kids what Joe could have done differently, one boy said he could have reported the bullying sooner. On the other side of the room, a girl broke down crying and said that sometimes when you report it, it gets worse. She was obviously speaking from personal experience and had trouble regaining her composure during the rest of the presentation. I spoke to a teacher afterward and asked if they were aware of what she was dealing with. The teacher told me that they were aware it was going on, and it was the reason they wanted us to bring the Safe and Secure Online to their school. It was so hard to watch this young girl – who couldn’t have been more than 13 – struggling so much when faced with a discussion about this painful experience, knowing some of the bullies were likely sitting in the room.

Meeting this poor girl was a profound reminder to me of why programs like Safe and Secure Online are so important and the impact our members – certified information security experts – many of whom are parents themselves – can have on young lives and the critical support they provide teachers and principals who don’t feel equipped to handle problems that start online.

Whether it’s Mark Zuckerberg’s push to allow kids under 13 to use Facebook or the fact that kids think bullying online is OK because they falsely believe they can remain anonymous, hearing about the repercussions of their actions from a certified expert who lives and breathes security every day is an irreplaceable tool in the effort to educate kids.

According to UK-based (ISC)² Safe and Secure Online volunteer Tim Wilson in reaction to Facebook founder’s call to remove age limits, “Common sense must prevail. “We don’t let our young children walk into town on their own until we feel they are old and wise enough. Why should it be any different for the largest online community in the world? The age limits are there for a reason. They send a message out to say that the content that can be viewed here is not appropriate for children under the age of 13. I don’t see any suggestion being made to assure that the management of content on Facebook should change to suit the children. We age-rate movies, online games and the like to help parents and guardians be more aware and make reasonable judgements about these items. Social networking sites should be rated in the same way, and there are many that are there just for children.”
An active volunteer who visits schools in the London area to speak with thousands of children every year, Wilson points out that the issues go far beyond the concerns about paedophiles. Children as young as 8 years old routinely admit they have Facebook accounts, and many also admit that they pretend to be older than they are not just to get around the age barrier but also to make an impression online. They can be targeted by advertisements for slimming or plastic surgery or be invited into playing online games with adults where there can be swearing and abusive behaviour, which is already a growing problem with many young teenage boys playing over 18 games.

Whether it’s protecting themselves against strangers or “friends”, it’s clear these kids need to hear about what REALLY happens online from those who know better than anyone – (ISC)² members.