Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
THE danger to children from paedophiles who operate online has pushed its way into the public consciousness and rightly so.
But we shouldn’t overlook the fact that they are not the only weirdos lurking in cyberspace with an eye on children’s hearts and minds.
The web is peopled with all kinds of cranks, extremists and obsessives peddling oddball arguments, dubious political agendas and eccentric personal visions. What is sinister is that some of them are disseminating their nonsense – sometimes dangerous nonsense – in a very child-friendly way.
Take The Ethnic Cleansing Game, a form of online computer “entertainment” which emerged a few years ago in which the objective was to shoot any non-white character.
It was created as a propaganda tool for the National Alliance – not a mutual assurance company but a bunch of American racists.
Any reasonable and reasonably informed adult coming across the game would immediately think two things: (a) ugh, repulsive; (b) it’s not the most inventive title in the world. But for a child what, on the face of it, differentiates ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ from any other shoot ‘em up game?
Possibly a more insidious threat to vulnerable young people are the web offerings which exploit their personal fears and hang-ups.
Jo Bryce is director of a university cyberspace research unit which has carried out preliminary research into sites which hijack children’s “media culture” to engage children and promote their own messages and is looking to carry out a bigger study this year with UK schools into what motivates children to become involved with such sites and what schools can do to alert children to the risks.
Quite obviously, she points out, children who come across sites peddling political or personal propaganda may not have the awareness to realise that they are being indoctrinated. They need to be educated so that the risks are flagged up and they learn how to protect themselves.
Getting in touch with my inner authoritarian, though, I wonder why it is not possible simply to close down race-hate games, pro-eating disorder sites and the rest of the lunatic fringe which pose potential risks to minors?
Because it doesn’t work, says Ms Bryce.
“Technical and regulatory solutions can only take you so far with something like this. We know that when the authorities have tried to close down pro-suicide websites, for example, they just go underground. The answer lies in education and in reaching out to the people who might go to such sites.”
The unit is about to launch an online course in child safety on the Internet for parents and teachers which will give them an opportunity to learn about current technologies, how they are used by children and young people, the risks associated with their use and effective risk reduction and education strategies.
By Julie Nightingale
