Who is your online friend?

How many of you know that your children have Facebook accounts? And even if you do, are you aware of the information that is passed on by your kid on Facebook or other social networking platforms. The child might be just innocent to say, “Mom is not home,” but that information can just pass on to an online stalker. In the race to have more numbers of friends, children seem to add people in the friends list at random. Have you ever given it a thought?

An Internet safety event was organized in Highlands among primary school children. It shocked the officials when they learned that 90 percent of the 2500 children who took part in the event had Facebook accounts, while some of them had several. Interestingly, in the bid to have the highest number of friends, an eleven year old girl had 500 friends of which she knew only half.

This bid to cope up with peer pressure has put these children at risk. With online crime on the rise, The Highland E-Safety Group chiefs and computer safety experts have formed a four year program that will initiate to protect thousands of children from online stalking.

They have designed a program called, Becky’s Room. It is the mock-up of a young girl’s bedroom where the children attending the program are asked to identify her number, school dress, mobile number and favorite bands. In the same way they are shown a fake profile which displays similar information. The children are shown how the stalker can get their personal information through their online profile.

The participants are also informed how they can protect their online identity and personal information. “The project had a big impact on the kids. It has made them more aware of the dangers of being online and understanding that people may not be who they say they are or the age they say they are. The feedback has been very positive and made young people more aware of the risks.” a Highland Council spokesperson said.

Fujitsu is being involved in providing advice and safety measures on online security to children as a part of its work with the council.