• by Seana Mulcahy , October 11, 2004

I've been to a lot of industry events lately. Seems like no matter what the topic is everyone still says fresh dynamic content is key. This got me thinking. For those of you who know me or have been reading me for a while, know I am super passionate about security online. This could range from protecting your online identity to stopping spammers and hackers. I am especially involved in the protection of kids online.

Cyber crime often falls into a gray area. According to The Tenth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (Vienna, 10-17 April 2000) categorized five offenses as cyber-crime: unauthorized access; damage to computer data or programs; sabotage to hinder the functioning of a computer system or network; unauthorized interception of data to, from and within a system or network; and computer espionage.

Many parents are unaware of such wrongdoings. As advertisers, marketers, content developers, creatives, tool providers, and technologists, we must be fully aware of the misuse of the Internet and protect kids out there. Recently on Reuters, VeriSign and Children's safety group i-Safe America announced the development of a new technology designed to make it easier for children to avoid predators online.

The product is called the i-Stick token. It is plugged into the USB port of a PC and provides verification of a child's age and gender. It will be available for free to students in a handful of US schools soon. While I think this is a good idea and a step in the right direction, I'm not quite sure I'm sold on it. It is assumed that someone without an i-Stick token will not be able to verify their age and gender and "stick out like a sore thumb" in areas like chat rooms.

New products or not, the i-Safe organization is an amazing source of information when it comes to understanding the online kids market. During last school year it took a look at what students were doing online. According to the Students Basic Online Behavior study:

80% of students spend at least one hour on the Internet

11% spend at least one hour per week online

11% spend more than 8 hours per week online

12% say they spend more time online than with friends

30% of students say e-mail, chat rooms, or Instant Messaging is the main way they stay in contact with their friends

38% of students feel more free to do what they want on the Internet

31% of students say it is easier to talk with people on the Internet than in real life

29% of students use chat rooms, with a peak usage of 45% occurring in the seventh grade. (Source: Based on i-SAFE America surveys of 19,000 students)

The study also found that students have risky behavior online:

55% of students admit giving their personal information (name, sex, age, etc.) over the Internet

52% of students prefer to be alone while on the Internet

40% of students have visited inappropriate places on the Internet

10% of students feel it is okay to post their picture on the Internet

10% of students have met someone face-to-face that they previously met on the Internet

25% of students believe there is nothing wrong with chatting to strangers online

21% of students say after getting to know someone better on the Internet, they would believe them when they tell their age. (Based on i-SAFE America surveys of 19,000 students)

There are approximately 50 million students online today. As you saw, these kids are savvy and spending a lot of time online. The market is only going to grow. Depending on the source, you'll find that there is expected to be about 77 million kids online by the end of 2005. There aren't that many great sites out there for these kids either. BOLT is one I found that excels in creating a safe, fun environment. Which have you found?

Moving forward, we need to develop some best practices in regard to site development, content and creative. Sites should allow for anonymous screen names to protect kid's identity; not require or accept personal photographs but use icons to represent kids; have constant monitoring of risky and or suspicious behavior; require registration information for such tools as chat rooms and bulletin boards; and keep information about the registrants private.

I'd love to get your two cents on this issue and your thoughts about who's doing it right when it comes to kid's online. If you are a law/policymaker, advocate, organization, or site, email me as I'd love to chat (seana.mulcahy@brand-truth.com). And as always, please post your comments to the SPIN board so we can learn from each other. In the meantime, I guess the bottom line is, kids are online and spending a lot of time. We must foster safe surfing, be in the loop with what they are doing, and find ways to give this market what they need.