New Teen Savvy Safety Web Site

I've been writing about Internet safety for kids since 1994 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children commissioned me to write "Child Safety on the Information Highway." A few years later I wrote a teen version called, "Teen Safety on the Information Highway."

Yet, despite my own best efforts and those of many other experts, it's hard to get teens to pay attention to safety material. And that's a shame, because teens are actually more vulnerable to Internet related problems than younger kids.

The reasons will be obvious to any parent of a teen. They are more independent, more curious, more adventuresome and, besides, they're going to live forever. Nothing bad can possibly happen to them.

While being relaxed about life is a good way to avoid stress, teens that go online too often encounter risks. Though it can be disturbing, I'm not so worried about their looking at porn as much as I am their getting into the clutches of someone who can hurt them. They're extremely unlikely to be snapped up and kidnapped by a stranger yet, strangely, as a group they're not immune to making bad judgment decisions such as willingly going somewhere with a "friend" who they met online.

Teens are also more likely to be annoyed by all the things that bother the rest of us: spam, spyware, pop-ups and viruses.

In addition to the printed brochure, I maintain a web site, www.safeteens.com, that has all sorts of advice not only on computer safety but on safe use of cell phones and other technology. The site is popular with parents, but I have no illusions that very many teens are going to want to visit safeteens.com.

But there is a new site that teens might actually enjoy visiting.

Microsoft Network (MSN) in the UK along with several UK-based non-profits has created what I think is the first good online safety web site that speaks directly to teens. The new UK venture, WebSafeCrackerz.com is compelling for its target audience of 12 to 16.

I base this not only on my own assessment but that of a real expert, my teenage son Will. When it comes to the Internet, he's about as savvy as teens can get and, being my son, he's heard the message over and over again. Yet even Will appreciated the cool graphics, sounds and games embedded into this new site. Make sure you have the computer speakers turned on -- the sound track is quite good.

WebSafeCrackerz is oriented to a British audience and some of the resources mentioned are specifically for teens in the UK. However, the main messages of the site as well as the games and multimedia tools will resonate with teens throughout the English speaking world, including the United States.

The site is clearly a Microsoft production with references to MSN, Hotmail and other Microsoft properties. Personally, I think it would be have been stronger had they not been so Microsoft-centric but, despite that, it's still very good.

WebSafeCrackerz was created by Microsoft with input from Childnet International, the BBC, Childline and Cyberspace Research Unit, University of Central Lancashire.

Just keep in mind that the trouble reporting services mentioned on the site are only applicable for the U.K. Anyone in the U.S. who knows of a serious online crime against children or teens is encouraged to report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipLine at www.cybetipline.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.

By Larry Magid