Internet Safety

Reading

I read the Ensign article entitled "Just A Game?" by Charles D. Knutson and Kyle K. Oswald. It was a great article I thought. Some of the most important things I learned from the article were the signs of addictive internet gaming behavior. The questions that it presents to ask yourself to figure out if you have an addiction or not I thought were great and were a very straightforward way for people to see that they have a problem when they otherwise might not have. I also learned a lot about the games themselves. I've never been involved with one or been really close to someone that is. I have had people close to me get involved in interactive games with other people online but never something quite as intense as this and I wasn't aware of how much of a commitment these games can become. So it was really educational in that way.

What I read in this article will effect my actions in the future as a parent and teacher in that I will further encourage the youth around me, as well as my husband, to stay away from these kinds of games in general. And if they still become involved in them, to try and limit their usage early on and teach them the dangers of them before they become too involved to see what is happening. I already felt that gaming was something I didn't want too much of in my family, but this has only reaffirmed my beliefs about that. There is so much to do in this life that is productive and good that it would break my heart to see someone close to me become addicted to something like this.

I think I can use what I have learned here to look out for addictive behavior in those I love and to possibly help them see that what they are doing is harmful in a loving way. It has also helped me understand the appeal of these games in some way and so hopefully in the future I can be a little bit more understanding if I encounter people with these problems so that they will be able to listen to me instead of just reject me saying that I don't understand.

I also have read Elder Bednar's talk, "Things As They Really Are" and felt that it was a great article and something that everyone in this day and age should read because it is so pertinent and important. These are real problems facing thousands and thousands of people and they are effecting even me in some ways and so it is good to notice them so that we can keep these harmful habits in check.

Watching

I actually listened to a podcast called "Internet Safety Podcast". I got the link off of the Internet Safety Videos link. It was really interesting. I learned about a lot of malicious software and a little bit about the motivation behind the people that create them. It's not always malicious, but sometimes is just a matter of someone seeing whether or not they can do it, but there is a lot of malicious software created with malicious motivation and some of them can be very damaging. This podcast examined different kinds and I found it very interesting and educational.

Doing

I talked to my cousin who is a sophomore in high school about internet safety. In asking her what she knows about internet safety, she said that she's not supposed to go to chat rooms or give out her information without talking to her parents first. She also said that she's not supposed to download anything without asking her parents first. I said that those were great guidelines and I explained to her what can happen if she does those things without their permission and that they really can happen to her. I also showed her a little bit from the talks I read by Elder Bednar and the one I read online and she thought they were interesting and informative as well, even though she's not involved in online gaming. She said it was good to learn more about it and be aware so she can help her friends that might have the same problems. I also explained breifly some of the terrible things that viruses and malicious software cna do and helped her further understand the importance of checking with her parents before doing anything that she doesn't usually do or downloading anything at all. I feel that it was productive because we both learned some things, and I hope that she shares her knowledge with her friends and family as well.