Social Networking and Virtual Environments are two popular ways of socializing online.

There are minimal levels of supervision in social networks and virtual environments. Social networks allow users to set privacy levels to protect their personal information, but few do. Most virtual environments employ moderators to keep out offensive topics or harassment, but the size of these virtual worlds, as well as the number of users, makes supervision very difficult.

Club Penguin is an example of a virtual environment whose main focus is socializing.

The Great News

• Social networking sites and virtual environments can help you meet people from around the world who share your interests.
• You can communicate directly with people you might not otherwise be in touch with: teachers, community leaders, or experts.
• You can participate in an online community where you're not judged based on how you look.
• There are social networking sites and virtual environments that are only for kids, or have areas that are only for kids.

The Not-So-Great News

• Discussions may become sexual or violent, or may promote hate against others.
• Because some people feel totally anonymous in virtual environments, they believe they can act any way they want. Girls in particular may receive crude or sexual comments.
• Online relationships with strangers met through social networking sites or virtual environments can lead to being cyberstalked, sent pornography, or pressured to arrange a real-world meeting.
• Anything posted to a social networking site (photos, contact information, etc.) should be considered as public. Never post anything you wouldn’t want your mother or your employer to see
• Social networking sites and virtual environments are often venues for cyberbullying. This can happen through harassment, exclusion, or the copying and distribution of photos or personal information.

Social Networking and Virtual Environment Guidelines

• Use age-appropriate and monitored environments. Your best bet is an environment limited to kids, with adult monitors. (But remember, just because an environment is monitored, there's little to stop an adult from pretending to be a young person and joining in the conversation.) Whyville is only open to kids and teachers, and Second Life has both kids-only and teens-only “islands”.
• Protect your privacy. This is probably the most important thing for you to remember. Don’t reveal information about yourself, your friends or your family when in your public profile. Set your privacy levels so that only your friends can see anything private, and be careful who you accept as friends. Remember that nothing is private on the Internet: anything you post can be copied and reproduced. Many sites also archive or store your material.
• Remember, you're in control. You don't have to respond if someone makes you feel uncomfortable or frightened. Tell an adult right away and block that person from contacting you. Complain about rude or abusive behaviour to the website or service.
• Never arrange to meet someone offline without informing a parent or other adult first. Any meeting with an Internet friend should take place in a busy, public place - and with an adult present.

Getting the Goods on Stranger Danger

A great thing about the Internet is that you can talk to people without being judged by how you look, how you speak, or whether or not you're cool. Unfortunately, though, the same technology that lets you communicate without being judged by your appearance may also help online predators trick you. Those same chat rooms that attract kids and teens are also going to attract people who want to exploit them, because there's nothing that prevents those people from pretending to be a young person.

Many online predators are smart and patient. They take their time getting to know potential targets and will often groom three or four kids at the same time. They earn trust through the use of attention, affection, kindness and even gifts. They are often willing to devote considerable amounts of time, money and energy to this process. They listen to, and empathize with, your problems and will often be aware of your interests, hobbies and taste in music. (In other words, if an online friend seems too good to be true, or an instant soul mate, your antennae should be up!)

Some predators try to lower young people's inhibitions by gradually introducing sexual comments into their conversations; others immediately start talking about sex.

The trick is in knowing when you can trust someone online. When the Media Awareness Network asked a group of adolescent girls how long it took for them to feel that they could trust an online friend, their answers ranged from "15 minutes" to "two weeks." The reality is that bad things do happen, and what's scarier, is that many young people try to deal with negative experiences like these on their own. Online stalking is more than upsetting — it's illegal for adults to try and lure young people, so you have a right to ask an adult for help if this happens.

Predators know that eventually they're going to have to admit who they are. What they're counting on is that by then, they will have built such a solid relationship with you, that you will "forgive" them. Others will use previous conversations or their knowledge about your family or friends as a way to blackmail you into a real-life meeting. In some cases, online predators are able to fool kids about their identities right up to a real-life meeting - which can easily put you in danger. That's why it pays to take an adult with you when meeting an online friend. If they have nothing to hide, they won't object.

A flip-side of this problem is when teens use social networking sites to post provocative pictures of themselves, or use virtual environments to flirt with people they don’t know. Some young people do this because they like to play with their identities, experimenting with the idea of sexuality, but what may seem like innocent fun to you and your friends might look very different to an adult — a stranger, your principal or your mother. Others see sexual chat as a way to experiment sexually from the safety of their own computers. It's true that you can't get pregnant or catch a sexually transmitted disease from online sex, but you can end up being harassed or even blackmailed by the person you are cybering with. Most teens think they can't be traced, but the truth is, if someone really wants to find out who you are online, there are many tricks — and even software — to help them discover your identity.

You Are Smarter — Be a Detective

Luckily, if people can find out about you, then you can find out about them. If you have an e-mail address for that person, you can go to a Web site like Visual Ware and download software that traces IP addresses through e-mail addresses. (Even Hotmail addresses can be traced back to a city of origin.) If the person you're corresponding with says they're from sunny California, and the city of origin for their  e-mal address turns out to be Sudbury, you should wonder what else they're not being honest about!

Because an IP address is like a telephone number for a computer, it can be important information for you to have. That way, if an online acquaintance turns out to be nasty, police can use their IP address to track them. (Letting an online acquaintance know that you have this information can also make you a less desirable target if they are up to no good.)

Think about it...

• How can you tell that someone is who they say they are?
• How can you tell when a person is fishing for information about you?
• Are there any sure-fire ways to protect your identity in your profile, or in virtual environments?
• Why do so many kids and teens feel they have to deal with negative experiences on their own?
• How do you feel about the pressure to post “sexy” or provocative images in social networking profiles?
• How do you feel about the sexual comments, insults or foul language that seems to dominate many virtual environments?
• Would you meet an online acquaintance in real life? What safeguards would you take?

Social Networking and Virtual Environments Work Sheet

1. List three similarities and three differences between social networking sites and virtual environments.

2. In your opinion, what is the biggest advantage of social networking sites and virtual environments?

3. What are some of the disadvantages? Do the disadvantages outweigh the advantages?

4. How can you protect your identity in your social networking profile?

 5. List three examples of tricky "leading questions" that might be used to get information about someone without their noticing. ("What school do you go to?" or "Where do you live?" are not good examples!)

6. What is an IP address?