Timehost says, "Hello everyone and welcome to the Time Forum!
Tonight we're going to be talking about the campaign to make cyberspace safe for
kids and what it could mean for protecting freedom of speech rights online. We are
joined by Laurie Lipper, co-director of the advocacy group The Children's Partnership
and co-author of The Parents' Guide to the Information Superhighway, and by Janice
Castro, senior editor of TIME Online. Welcome to you both."
Laurie_lipper says, "Thanks, I'm delighted to be here."
Timehost says, "Laurie and Janice, both of you attended this
week's White House-sponsored Internet/Online Summit: Focus on Children in
Washington. To get things started for our chat, can you both tell us your impressions
about the mood at the conference? Which way is the tug-of-war going between those
who want stricter safeguards and those who say the Internet should be an open forum
for all comers?"
Janice_castro says, "Laurie, would you like to go first?"
Laurie_lipper says, "Sure. I'd say that the mood of the
conference was cautiously optimistic and committed to taking additional steps. I
think that one of the measures of the success of the summit was that it didn't
please anyone one hundred percent."
Janice_castro says, "Good point."
Laurie_lipper says, "And second, it did allow for the airing of
important issues such as the balance of freedom of speech and protecting children
from inappropriate content. And the ability of parents to determine what kids
experience at home versus what's in the school or library setting or other knotty
issues that are not easily resolved. A third point is that some very important steps
were taken in some of the law enforcement -- the cyber tip line -- and the public
education campaign. And the national teach-in on the internet."
Timehost says, "Janice, what were your impressions?"
Janice_castro says, "I think the summit did a lot to put things
in perspective for parents who have legitimate concerns about the kinds of things
their children may encounter on the Internet. I know from my own experience that my
family asks me a lot of questions about what they should do to make sure that their
children don't have bad experiences while using the Internet's wonderful resources
for their education. In fact, Laurie's book is an excellent guide for parents: one of
the things we agreed upon at the summit was that it is very important for parents to
familiarize themselves with the Internet so that they can guide their children."
"There are also some very useful tools, software, for parents; especially for
protecting younger children from accessing inappropriate content or teaching them how
to deal with situations where they may encounter strangers. TIME will be
participating in the teach-in. We're excited about it. We're also hoping through
forums like this to offer parents some helpful information on what they can do to
make sure that their children can use this incredibly rich educational resource
without having bad experiences."
Laurie_lipper says, "Janice is right."
Janice_castro says, "Laurie and I would like to help parents out
there tonight with some basic tips."
Laurie_lipper says, "One of the significant findings of the
summit, and perhaps not surprisingly, is the critically important role that parents
play in keeping kids safe and directed at good experiences online. But in many
cases, parents are playing catch-up to their on-line savvy kids.""
Janice_castro says, "As a couple of parents said at the White
House summit, there is no software that can replace the parent in guiding children.
Even six year olds are incredibly intuitive in using the Internet. Parents need to
catch up, so they can guide them on what can be an incredible learning journey."
Timehost says, "We have a question from the audience that ties
right into that."
Timehost presents question #504 from Twibbs:
Should there be different levels of protection for different age groups? How do
you differentiate protection for your children if you're a parent?
Laurie_lipper says, "Absolutely, yes. And there are two main
approaches. Just as in other areas of parenting as you would set different limits for
seven years than for 15 year olds, similarly, parents may want to use "stronger"
control measures for younger children than older kids."
Janice_castro says, "I think parents know how mature their
children are. One way to think about it is that if your child is not old enough to
go to the Mall alone, he or she is not old enough to go online alone."
Laurie_lipper says, "Also, many of the software tools that
Janice referred to allow parents to set the controls at different levels mirroring
their family rules. Let me give an example. With a younger child, a parent may want
to read and screen all e-mail. Whereas with older teens, a parent may feel
comfortable giving more independence.""
Janice_castro says, "Let's try to be specific. Seven-year-olds
should not be roaming into chat rooms by themselves. Their father or mother can sit
with them and guide them. But 15-year-olds are old enough to know when they've run
into something unpleasant or inappropriate"
Timehost says, "Let's take another question."
Timehost presents question #513 from Mactheknife:
Janice, as an online editor, how comfortable are you with the issue of
self-imposed ratings? Or for that matter, with the someone like Disney or Microsoft
rating your site? What would your proposal be to keep kids safe while they read news
sites?
Janice_castro says, "Mac, let's explain to our guests what
you're talking about. One of the issues that has arisen with parental concerns about
children, especially small children, finding inappropriate content is a basic
question of: 'Well, how do you sort out the sites?' There are millions of them. So
some people have proposed that every site should be rated according to some kinds of
scales on violence, sexual content, etc. The problem with that idea is that it can
lead to a very restricted access to the world. How do you define the material that
will be rated?"
"Example: if you do not want your children to run into various unpleasant topics,
would you ban a newsmagazine that reported a massacre in Ghana? Would you bad the
TIME Online site if it reported a sexual crime? The problem is the way ratings are
composed. We oppose ratings for news sites. We think that people know that TIME is
different than tabloids and pornography. We try to be very responsible. But in
reporting the news we may report some unpleasant things."
Timehost says, "Has TIME Online ever gotten any viewer feedback
from people who find the site harmful to children for its reporting?"
Janice_castro says, "Good question. We get about 3,000 messages
online every week from our readers. TIME has been online since 1993.I can't recall a
single message of that kind. To answer Mac further...Why should newsmagazines be
rated by browsers, or other online publishers? Why does that make sense? Let me put
it this way: if you're not afraid to have TIME magazine on your coffee table, where
your children might find it, why would you worry about having TIME's online website
available to your children?"
Laurie_lipper says, "At the summit there was a vigorous
discussion of ratings and the multitude of issues surrounding them, and there is
not, as yet, a clear path on how best to balance first amendment protections and
protections for children, using ratings. But that discussion is going to continue
in a series of forums."
Janice_castro says, "Yes, there was complete consensus on issues
like child pornography, or child predation on the Internet (where pedophiles pursue
children in chat rooms, and so on)..that is very distinct. Our chat rooms tend to
involve discussions like this. If we do see something disturbing going on, we
intervene. I cannot recall an instance since we became the first major news
organization to go online in 1993, of a child predation or child porn incident
happening. But if it did, and if we saw it, we would step in. I have stepped in many
times to advise children, for example, to never give out their phone number or home
address.""
Timehost says, "Some of our viewers, though, wonder if there's a
foolproof way to foil the pedophiles and similar types..."
Timehost presents question #519 from Stamm_time:
I gather that the existing software is not terribly effective in blocking adult
sites from a really determined 14 year old. How about policing the info providers
instead of relying on net nanny software?
Janice_castro says, "You know I talked to some leading law
enforcement officials at the Summit. They said that the child predators, the
pedophiles who go online, are a very distinct and well-known group as a rule. They
recognize these guys. The interesting thing about the Net is that these people are
traceable. If they go after children, and someone catches them, they can be
traced. It's not like a private confrontation in a Mall, where no one can say who
that person was."
Laurie_lipper says, "One of the outcomes of the summit is a
"zero tolerance" policy for child pornography on the internet."
Janice_castro says, "Yes. There was completely enthusiastic
consensus on that."
Laurie_lipper says, "The Internet Service Providers have
committed to taking action and working with law enforcement when child pornography
is brought to their attention. And while no blocking software is 100 percent
effective, the tools are improving all the time. And it is worth checking to see if
there's one that might meet your family's need."
Janice_castro says, "Yes, you know, in the preliminary meetings
Laurie and I attended for the planning of this summit, the law enforcement people
were asking for help from ISPs and other providers because they simply don't have
the time or resources to scan everything. The ISPs were asking for guidance on how
they can help. We're proud that we established some rudimentary systems so that both
sides can work together. And as Attorney General Janet Reno noted today at our
meeting, parents are the most important protection for children when they explore
the Internet."
Timehost says, "Laurie, what do you both think the outcome will
be of next week's summit of law enforcement officials from around the world bent on
tracking down Net criminals, particularly those that target children?"
Laurie_lipper says, "From what the attorney general said, it's
the beginning of a strong effort to coordinate and aggressively go after computer
criminals. And we hope that it results in a safer environment for kids."
Janice_castro says, "Well from what they tell me, they have a
pretty good line on who these people are."
Laurie_lipper says, "We agree that whatever comes out of the
summit with law enforcement, a parent who is in touch with their child's online life
is by far the most reliable protection for kids. We do recognize parents cannot be
expected to do this all alone. They need the online industry to do their part. They
need schools, libraries, and community centers where computers are located to do
their part. And they need to teach their own kids safe traveling on the information
superhighway."
Timehost says, "Laurie, where can people get hold of your
Parents' Guide to the Internet?"
Laurie_lipper says, "The Parents Guide and our newest resource,
called Keeping Kids Safe Online, are both available on line, at
www.childrenspartnership.org"
Janice_castro says, "It's a great resource, Laurie. Thanks for
writing this for parents. It helps parents figure out the best ways to guide children
at different ages. When you consider that your child can use
thousands of libraries around the world, no matter where you live, you can see how
important the Internet can be as an education resource"
Laurie_lipper says, "Let me say, though, because I've got to run
now -- about the summit overall, we think it was a very solid start, with good
accomplishments."
Janice_castro says, "Yes"
Laurie_lipper says, "The ultimate measure will be the quality
of the information that's available to kids on line, whether it is available to
every American child, and whether it is a safe environment for kids."
Laurie_lipper says, "Thanks, everyone."
Janice_castro says, "Thanks very much, Laurie"
Timehost says, "Thank you, Laurie."
Laurie_lipper says, "Goodnight."
Janice_castro says, "We really appreciate your coming here to
help us give some guidance to parents"
Timehost says, "Janice, don't go anywhere. We have a few
hardball questions to still knock your way."
Timehost says, "Goodnight, Laurie. Thanks very much for joining
us."
Janice_castro says, "I'm here. Happy to continue"
Timehost presents question #531 from Stamm_time:
What action will ISPs take if unlawful material from overseas crosses a US ISP
while transiting the Net? Do our laws apply in foreign cyberspace? Should they?
Janice_castro says, "Stamm, that's a good and complicated
question as I'm sure you appreciate. Frankly, the law enforcement folks we
talked to at the Summit were primarily concerned with tracking child predation and child
pornography, which often occurs in unsolicited email on some online services and in
chat rooms. They cannot possibly be aware of incidents when they occur...but we are working with them to find ways to inform the
appropriate agency when we, as internet providers, actually see something disturbing
taking place."
Timehost presents question #511 from Mactheknife:
How likely is Congress to pass the bill proposed by Sen. Dan Coats that would
require all commercial web sites to block material deemed harmful to children or
face criminal prosecution?
Janice_castro says, "Mac, as far as I could see at the Summit,
that bill is very complicated: how do you define "harmful? for what age? If we are
talking about child predation or child pornography, it
is easier to draw the line."
Timehost says, "Do we have any rumble from our bureau in
Washington on this one, Janice?"
Janice_castro says, "Our Washington bureau is pleased that so
much attention is now being given to this issue. Our correspondents are very interested in
the issues that we can all, as parents and aunts and uncles and grandparents, agree
to address. Nobody wants a child to be exploited or
frightened or abused by a stranger online. One idea is to put the family computer in
a family space -- so that your child can easily ask questions -- or you can be aware
-- if something unseemly occurs while your child is online."
Timehost says, "What about Coats' recent comment that ISPs
wouldn't care one way or another about material harmful to children if not for the
threat of legislation that would penalize them? Is there any truth in that?"
Janice_castro says, "Well, what I heard at the Summit from ISPs was
the concern that they would like to know what to do when they see something going
on: should they call someone? whom should they
call? would they be sued on privacy concerns? Many of these companies are small concerns that cannot afford
legal counsel everytime something funny shows up on their radar screens late at night."
"We should be clear when we talk about child predation and
chatroom problems, we are generally talking about a limited number of ways that a
child might encounter this stuff. Less than one percent of all of the
millions of websites contain pornographic material. There are a few dozen known child
predators, and law enforcement officials told us at the Summit that they tend to be the same guys, over
and over. It is not a common occurrence; not something that is happening everywhere."
Timehost says, "Good point. We have one final question for
you."
Janice_castro says, "It is to some extent an email problem --
unsolicited email on online services containing pornographic sites, for example."
Timehost presents question #509 from Umnaya_vera:
Is there any indication yet of how many crimes against children occur over the
Internet? If not, why doesn't the government keep track of such statistics if it's
serious about cracking down on Internet dangers to children?
Janice_castro says, "The government does keep track as best it
can. About 70 instances have been documented of
predatory behavior towards children online. If you consider that probably that many
instances occur every day in every major city in other venues (in malls, on the
street, wherever) that is not really the predominant concern parents should have
when their children explore the Internet. We can focus on those incidents. But they
are rare."
"One thing parents might want to watch is
search engines: the most common search topic on the
internet is SEX. Now, obviously, a lot of grownups are
searching for topics like that, but you can talk to your child about those
sites he or she may encounter. You can use blocking software to either
track where your child is roaming or to advise your child on what is appropriate
when using the computer at home."
Timehost says, "Well, with that, it looks like our time tonight
has come to a close. Thank you very much, Janice, for adding your hands-on knowledge
to this evening's chat. We look forward to seeing you online with us again."
Janice_castro says, "Thanks very much. I hope this has been
helpful to parents."
Timehost says, "And for our viewers, thank you very much for
joining us and contributing such great questions."
Janice_castro says, "Please take a look at Laurie's site: Timehost, can you repeat that URL?"
Timehost says, "Don't forget to come back next week at 8pm ET
Wednesday for another Time Forum!"
Timehost says, "The URL for Laurie's organization, The Children's Partnership is
www.childrenspartnership.org."
Timehost says, "And our url is www.time.com"
Timehost says, "Might as well add it on, too."
Timehost says, "Goodnight, Janice. Thanks again."
Janice_castro says, "Thanks"
