Edition 4
Capricornus Quarterly
PARENTING
TOO SMART TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES
PHILANTHROPIC BOON OR MISANTHROPIC DOOM?
THE HAIRBRUSH FOR
GENERATION Z WHAT ON EARTH IS TICTOC?
AND WHY YOU NEED TO KNOW
SPRING CLEANING
WE TACKLE DIGITAL HOUSEKEEPING AND DATA SAFETY
PARENTING
IN THIS ISSUE
THE HAIRBRUSH FOR GENERATION Z SPRING CLEANING TOO SMART FOR OUR OWN GOOD Q&A WITH AUSTRALIA’S ESAFETY COMMISSION LAST BYTE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
03 06 08 10 12
bit.ly enter these urls to dig deeper into topics
IN THE NEWS
Got Junk News?
Sex Online
50 and Over
The Oxford Internet Institute at Oxford University reports that Twitter is ‘cleaner’ when it comes to distributing what’s considered news. European Twitter users shared far more links to mainstream ‘professional’ news outlets than junk news (34%) in a runup to recent elections there. While many more Facebook users interact with mainstream content, individual junk news stories hugely outperform professionally-produced stories, drawing as much as four times the volume of shares, likes and comments than mainstream content. www.oii.ox.ac.uk
A first-of-its-kind study by Michigan State University in the US shows a correlation between girls’ (aged 14-17) online sexuality and their realworld experiences, showing that internet experiences could have serious health and safety consequences. One researcher noted that rather than trying to tackle the impossible – like eliminating teens’ exposure to pornography or ability to sext – parents needed to talk frankly to adolescents about the realities and risks of expressing their sexuality online. bit.ly/2McEM2o
Britain’s telecom regulator, Ofcom, says people spend the equivalent of 50 full days a year on the internet. Its Online Nation report also reveals even though users are spending more time than ever scrolling and browsing, they are becoming more concerned about the harm it may be causing. Support in Britain for tighter government regulation of social media and tech sites rose last year to 70 percent, compared to 52 percent in 2017, according to Ofcom.
Social workers on the anti-social Children aged five and under are at risk of becoming addicted to the internet and damaging their mental health, according to community services agency, Barnardo’s. A survey of some of its social workers revealed their main concerns were children’s failure to think creatively, interact with others socially and manage their own emotions. Recent Barnado research also shows that a third of five-to-10-yearolds have been victims of cyberbullying. 78% of counsellors working with 11-to-15 year olds said they had clients that age who had been groomed online.
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THE HAIRBRUSH FOR
GENERATION Z BY SIMON HARDING
W
hatever your era, it’s almost a certainty that you picked up a hairbrush one day, cranked up the music and pretended you were the front man – or woman – of your favourite band. You probably had the moves too! It’s something that’s brought us an immense amount of pleasure and some great big-screen moments too; think Muriel’s Wedding
and Wayne’s World. Think Tom Cruise in Risky Business. And let’s not forget Hugh Grant’s almost cringe-worthy shuffle through a supposedly sleeping
10 Downing Street in Love Actually. It’s all – well, fun. And that’s what today’s teens see in TikTok, an app for creating and watching short-form mobile videos. Sure, it’s far more public than anything most of us ever did with a hairbrush, but it’s highly engaging and allows them to just enjoy being creative.
Lots of people, mostly kids, produce videos of themselves miming to songs, performing comedy skits or taking up challenges, and post them online. Typically, these videos are up to 15 seconds long, though they can be merged to make them longer. The app has a database of songs, effects and soundbites, with which users can make their content look almost professional.
Some advice TikTok is, without question, a very engaging app, and your children will have a great deal of fun using it, should you choose to let them. If you do, then Common Sense Media has some advice:
££ If your children are going to sign up, get them to use their real birth date – TikTok has a version of the site specifically for U13’s which offers similar functionality, without the ability to share videos publicly. ££ Make the account private. Accounts are public by default.
££ Limit comments – either restrict who can comment or block comments completely. This will go some way towards protecting your child from online predators. ££ Limit time and inappropriate content – there are settings for both in TikTok, including specific words that you can block.
4 It originated as a lipsync app years ago, but was bought by a Chinese firm, ByteDance, in 2017 and rebranded as TikTok. It’s fast becoming THE way for people to find new genres of music and artists because ‘talentspotting’ is entirely crowd sourced. Unlike Spotify, which streams music and artists people already know, TikTok is fresher and more diverse. TikTok’s official mission, however, is to capture and present the world’s creativity, knowledge and moments that matter in everyday life, and it describes itself as the world’s leading destination for short-form mobile videos. It is estimated to have between 500 million and 1 billion active users worldwide – far more than household names like Twitter, Snapchat and LinkedIn – and that number is growing. In the last twelve months, TikTok has consistently been the most downloaded app in the Apple Store.
It’s believed to be worth $75 billion and, therefore, the world’s most valuable start-up. In the West, TikTok was formerly known as musical.ly, before a 2017 merge. In China, a separate version of the site, Douyin, ensures that the platform complies with the country’s rigorous censorship laws. TikTok uses artificial intelligence to develop a stream of content for each user that meets their previous search criteria – similar to the ‘up next’ column on YouTube. And you’ll find your children flicking through them one by one and, as usual, not wanting to come off.
So far so good. But like every other social media application, there’s a chance of being targeted by bullies. Important as that is, there are other concerns that are more specific to TikTok. It is a site used largely by children and is only for people over the age of 13, but that is obviously very difficult to police – it’s just as easy to enter a false date of birth on this platform as it is on other social media channels. A recent BBC investigation found users as young as 9 years’ old on the site. Worse still, it found hundreds of sexually explicit comments, made by adults, on videos that had been posted by children of all ages. Although the comments were later removed by TikTok once it was made aware, many of those who posted them were able to remain on the platform.
Britain’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the NSPCC, has observed the same behaviour. Out of 40,000 children it researched, a quarter had livestreamed – not necessarily just on TikTok – with someone they had never met and an incredible one in 20 had been asked to take their clothes off. The issues don’t end there. In February, 2019, the US Federal Trade Commission, which protects American consumers, made a complaint about TikTok – or musical. ly as it was at the time – illegally collecting personal information from children. The company agreed to a penalty of $5.7 million, the largest ever penalty obtained by the commission in a children’s privacy case. TikTok is also under investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK for its handling of young users’ private data.
5 Outside the US, for a brief period earlier this year the Indian Government ordered Google and Apple to ban TikTok from their stores in India, citing pornography and the safety of minors as the issue. The ban lasted only two weeks, but it was believed to have cost the company up to 15 million new
users. In its defence, parent company, ByteDance took a similar approach to Facebook and Twitter, claiming that it couldn’t be held responsible for user-generated conduct. The potential to come into contact with undesirables, explicit song lyrics and inappropriate
content means Common Sense Media, the leading source of entertainment and technology recommendations for families, rates TikTok as suitable only for those over 16, the same rating it gives Snapchat. In comparison, its view is that Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are suitable for those aged 15 and up.
In addition, it’s always sensible to supervise them while they use it. If you can’t ensure that all online activity takes place in a central location in the house, insist that the bedroom door is open while your child is online. If you want to read more, you’ll find some very useful tips at www.esafety.gov.au.
OKAY, PULL OUT THAT HAIR BRUSH AND GET ROCKIN’. The Rockhampton Grammar School
S
afeguarding your personal information is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of identity theft according to law enforcement and security experts. Just as you would safely store required paper records – often for seven years – and shred what you no longer need, the same is true for your digital information. And Spring Cleaning provides a perfect opportunity to wipe down our digital spaces and clean out the clutter. Most of us don’t do everything we can to protect our key data, but once there is a good system in place, it’s much easier to keep your information secure and to properly dispose of old data you no longer need.
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Digital Spring Cleaning TakeAction Tips from staysafeonline .org Lock Down Your Login: Both at home and at work, security is critical to protecting highly personal accounts. One of the first things everyone needs to do is ensure that passphrases are lengthy, unique and safely stored. In addition, it is essential to fortify accounts by adopting strong authentication, which adds another layer of protection.
Update Your System and Software: Don’t procrastinate any longer! Having the latest updates, security software, web browser, and operating system is one of the easiest ways to keep devices secure and protect data. This simple “digital to do” is a must to help keep cybercriminals at bay.
Back It Up: Protect your personal and workplace data by making electronic copies – or backups – of your most important files. Whether it’s family photos, health records or employee contacts, back up your files this spring and set a schedule to do so regularly throughout the year.
To help you with the safe disposal of electronically stored data be sure to prep your data in advance so you know what devices to digitally “shred”: Computers and mobile phones aren’t the only devices that capture and store sensitive, personal data. External hard drives and USBs, tape drives, embedded flash memory, wearables, networking equipment and office tools like copiers, printers and fax machines all contain valuable personal information and stored images.
Clear out stockpiles: If you have a stash of old hard drives or other devices – even if they’re in a locked storage area – information still exists and could be stolen. Don’t wait: wipe and/ or destroy unneeded hard drives as soon as possible.
Empty your trash or recycle bin on all devices, and be certain to wipe and overwrite: Simply deleting and emptying the trash isn’t enough to completely get rid of a file. You must permanently delete old files. Use a program that deletes the data, “wipes” it from your device and then overwrites it by putting random data in place of your information ‒ which then cannot be retrieved. Various overwriting and wiping tools are available for electronic devices. For devices like tape drives, remove any identifying information that may be written on labels before disposal and use embedded flash memory or networking or office equipment to perform a full factory reset and verify that no potentially sensitive information still exists on the device.
Decide what to do with the device: Once the device is clean, you can sell it, trade it in, give it away, recycle it or have it destroyed.
Failed drives still contain data: On failed drives, wiping often fails, too; shredding/ destruction is the practical disposal approach for failed drives. Avoid returning a failed drive to the manufacturer; you are better off to destroy it.
To be “shredded,” a hard drive must be chipped into small pieces: Using a hammer to hit a drive only slows down a determined cybercriminal; instead, use a trusted shredding company to dispose of your old hard drives. Device shredding can often be the most time- and cost-effective option for disposing of a large number of drives.
SPRING CLEANING 7
The Rockhampton Grammar School
8 BY SIMON HARDING
T
TOO SMART FOR OUR OWN GOOD?
here’s something extremely polarising about the advent of new technology and, the bigger the leap, the greater that dissonance becomes. Some embrace the latest advances with feverish excitement; others fear the change they will bring. In the end, only time can judge the impact of innovation’s inexorable march. Take the telephone, for example. Some marvelled at the possibilities it would bring. Even Queen Victoria, who was fortunate enough to receive a personal demonstration from Alexander Graham Bell himself, was so taken by the device that she asked – albeit by letter – if she could purchase one. Presumably she saw how it would revolutionise communication across the empire. Others took the new invention with a heavy dose of scepticism and more than a degree of fear.
ACCORDING TO MULTINATIONAL COMPANY ERICSSON, SMALL POCKETS OF PEOPLE IN SWEDEN EVEN FELT PHONES WERE THE INSTRUMENT OF THE DEVIL – TO THE POINT WHERE IT BECAME DIFFICULT TO RECRUIT PEOPLE TO MANAGE THE TELEPHONE STATION.
It’s safe to say that time has judged the telephone as a device that brought mankind together, and it’s hard to imagine a world in which it didn’t exist. Alexander Graham Bell was, without doubt, a visionary. But so too, it seems, were some of his detractors. As far back as 1877 – a year after the US patent for the telephone was granted to Bell – a New York Times editorial proclaimed that, as a result of his new invention, people would soon be nothing but heaps of transparent jelly to each other. It’s difficult to be certain what was meant by that comment, but when you consider the ubiquity and indispensability of today’s smart phone, its users totally connected yet completely isolated from those around them, you could be forgiven for thinking that perhaps they had a point.
The speed at which technology has evolved the humble telephone into a full-blooded entertainment centre in little more than a decade, means it is once more polarising perceptions. Initial fears around the cancer risk of mobile phone usage are no longer as loud as they once were and, according to Victoria’s Better Health Channel, intensive international research has found no conclusive evidence that mobile phones are damaging to health in the short or long term. Instead, people are turning their attention to the amount of time they, and their children, are spending looking at their phones. A recent article in The New York Times suggests that American families are beginning to turn to coaches to help them parent their children through the minefield that is screen use today. That’s a
Be gone evil temptress of the wire!
For the last time Mum. The phone isn’t evil!
9
difficult thing for adults who themselves are experiencing the technology for the first time and battling their own inability to put the devices down – a 2019 US survey found that the average smartphone user checks their device 63 times per day, and 86% will check a device when speaking to family and friends. In Australia, the latest Deloitte mobile consumer survey claims that 39% of Australians with a smart phone are concerned they are using it too much. So what exactly is it that these coaches offer? For $80 an hour, parents and children are encouraged to engage in sport, outdoor play and family time. The Australian Government gives the same advice, for free. In its sedentary behaviour guidelines, it recommends that children between the ages of 5 and 17 years should engage in 60 minutes or
more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and should spend no more than 2 hours per day looking at screens. The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne believes the actual time spent is closer to 5 hours per day.
mobile phones in schools from the start of the 2020 school year. It is doing so in an effort to reduce distractions and cyber-bullying, and hopefully improve education outcomes. Of course, this move has, itself, divided opinion.
Usage of phones and screens is, of course, a problem that, in purchasing the devices, parents have helped to create. A 2017 CNN report claimed that 45% of children aged 10-12 in the USA had a smart phone on a post-paid plan and, even in Australia, the penetration is high. The Royal Children’s Hospital claims that almost all Australian teenagers and two-thirds of primary schoolaged children now have their own tablet or smartphone.
Though many parents breathed a sigh of relief at the announcement, others claim that children should be taught how to use their phones responsibly. Besides, taking away a mobile phone during school time doesn’t take away a child’s ability to find distractions or communicate with others.
If you would like to understand more about the impacts of screen time, or would like ideas on how to manage it, the Office of the E-Safety Commissioner is a great place to start. They have some great tips about managing your child’s online activity and keeping them safe.
esafety.gov.au
Afterall, Deloitte estimates that 89% of Australians now own a smartphone.
The Victorian Government is equally concerned about smart phones, to the point where it has announced a blanket ban on the use of
The Rockhampton Grammar School
According to the latest research at esafety.gov.au, parents have a number of concerns about their child being online. The three most common concerns cited are: exposure to inappropriate content other than pornography (38%), contact with strangers (37%) and being bullied online (34%). This is largely unchanged from 2016, with the exception of ‘excessive use’, which is no longer in the top responses.
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Parental Concerns
More stats from the Esafety Commission 28% of parents reported being aware of their child having a negative online experience in the last 12 months. This increased significantly in line with the age of the child. Among parents of 13 to 17-year olds, awareness increased to 37%. There was no difference in awareness of negative experiences based on the child’s gender. Of parents aware that their child had a negative online experience, nearly 66% reported finding out about the experience from their child, 19% finding out themselves and 6% from their child’s school or teacher. Parents identified that a classmate (31%) or a friend (22%) was responsible for their child’s negative online experience while a further 28% indicated that a stranger was responsible.
Q&A WITH AUSTRALIA’S ESAFETY COMMISSION 4 E xperts at the nation’s leading online safety body respond to some questions provided by our readers
Parent One: My kids are online, a lot. How often are they asked for personal information and what are kids likely to divulge? Many of us grew up in a very different world to the one in which today’s children are developing. As digital natives they live in a world where they have different conceptions about privacy and sharing. This can, at times, include compromising their own privacy and safety by sharing personal information for the sake of not feeling left out or to portray a certain version of themselves online. Our research shows the most common personal information young people share with people they have only met online is their age, photos of themselves and their full name. A slightly higher proportion of girls revealed personal information than boys; boys were more likely to share fake information. Password sharing is also quite common among young people and can at times be considered the ultimate sign of trust between friends. However, our research showed that only 17% of Australian young people between the ages of 8 to 17 shared passwords to their emails or
social media accounts. Of that group, teens aged 13 to 17 were more likely to share their passwords with friends whereas kids aged 8 to 12 were more likely to share their passwords with their parents. Parent Two: What are some easy, practical steps for parents and kids to avoid sharing too much information?
1
Start setting good habits as early as possible! It’s never too early to start talking about online safety with your children and should be initiated the minute a device is handed over.
2
Model good behaviour and teach your child to respect privacy. A good example of this is asking for their permission before sharing or tagging your children on your own social media accounts.
3
Explain why they should avoid putting personal information on their social media profiles such as phone numbers, date of birth, school uniforms, passwords, or addresses.
Remind them about their digital reputation and that it can last forever. Encourage them to take care of their digital reputation as well as the reputation of others.
5
Get involved and explore the online world alongside them – sit down together and check privacy settings on social media accounts, apps and devices and ensure they have selected the most secure settings.
6
If your child is playing games, co-play with them to understand what kinds of information they may be sharing. Parent Three: My boys chatter online a lot when gaming; I ask Siri for help often. My sister-in-law has Alexis on at home all the time. Who’s listening in and are ‘bots’ actively gathering data on us? Smart devices and online games can offer lots of entertainment and educational benefits but it’s important for parents to be aware of the potential privacy and security risks. While playing online games, your child could be communicating with strangers
(including adults) through web cam, private messaging or online chat, increasing the risk of contact from online abusers, or bullying from other players. Tell your child to notify you immediately if a person they have met online only tries to start a conversation about something inappropriate or requests personal information. Smart devices and toys that connect to the internet can also have security issues, from drones and smart teddies to tablets and wearables. The risks include breaches of privacy through the collection of personal data or unsecure wireless connections. Data may also be exposed to third parties – including hackers – revealing personal information which may be used for sinister purposes. We encourage parents to be vigilant when introducing smart devices into their home. Check how the device will use and store you and your child’s information, set strong passwords and secure accounts, refrain from linking your location or sensitive data with others, install the latest security and software updates and manually deactivate any unnecessary functions like recording capabilities.
esafety.gov.au
The Rockhampton Grammar School
11
UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
D
igital Parenting has written about digital detoxing, strictly limiting screen time and other methods to reduce our reliance on screen time. Is it working? My experience is yes and no. It is a bit like a yoyo. Or a diet. The benefits may not be long-lasting.
Dr Phillip Moulds Headmaster
Diversify your digital diet by skipping a lot of the algorithm generated links 12
Digital Nutrition, developed by a Sydneybased psychologist, suggests we consider a different perspective on our consumption of bytes. Jocelyn Brewer, who is associated with Sydney University, says that we really need to be “thinking beyond screen time limits and restrictions, and doing the deep and messy work of understanding our relationship with technology.” In an article for the Family Online Safety Institute (www.fosi.org), Breyer encourages families to do
a few things to shake-up their digital experience: Diversify your digital diet by skipping a lot of the algorithm-generated links, advertisements and push notifications. She advocates broadening the range of games played, for example, by exploring some options available at Games For Change – a site dedicated to meaningful and positive game play. Create some time to share digital moments with your family. It could provide some insight on each other’s experiences and attitudes.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION
The Rockhampton Grammar School takes seriously the challenge of preparing students for today’s world. We treat each student as a whole person through a balance of academic, sporting, co-curricular and social activities. Our School motto is Macte Virtute et Litteris or Grow in Character and Scholarship. Capricornus Quarterly Digital Parenting is published by: The Rockhampton Grammar School Archer Street, Rockhampton QLD 4700, Australia www.rgs.qld.edu.au (+61) 07 4936 0600 ISSN 1839-4663
©2019 The Rockhampton Grammar School
The views and opinions stated in this document are the authors’ own and not necessarily those of The Rockhampton Grammar School. The advice and information contained in this document is general in nature and does not take into account personal circumstances. The Rockhampton Grammar School accepts no responsibility for the results of any actions taken on the basis of information in this document. Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of
the information contained in this document, The Rockhampton Grammar School disclaims all liability for any error, inaccuracy, or omission from the information contained within. Dr Phillip Moulds, Headmaster 07 4936 0615 headmaster@rgs.qld.edu.au Enrolment enquiries 1300 GRAMMAR
The Registrar, Mrs Marissa Holloway 1300 GRAMMAR or 07 4936 0700 registrar@rgs.qld.edu.au
Don’t snack on empty calories. In other words, skip the crisps – the mindless, frequent checking of your digital media and accounts. Set fixed times to check-in. Try to find your “sweet spot”. Determine the right amount of ‘connection’ time every day for you. She says that is important. Brewer advocates mindfulness, meaning, and moderation and that we approach our digital life in ways that align with our individual goals and values. The theory is that healthy engagement maximizes the benefits of technology and enables us to stay calm, considered, and conscious.
Editorial & Advertising Ms Sue Moloney, Acting Director Communications and Development 07 4936 0668 smoloney@rgs.qld.edu.au Mrs Rachael McDonald 07 4936 0776 rmcdonald@rgs.qld.edu.au Mrs Ashleigh Harvey 07 4936 0667 aharvey@rgs.qld.edu.au Contributor: Simon Harding
About the contributor Simon Harding writes for some of Australia’s largest companies on communications projects, marketing campaigns, technical documents and more. He has published two novels and is a frequent contributor to CQ Digital Parenting.
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