By Sandra Gordon

With an overwhelming majority of children online and concern for their safety paramount, encouraging good judgment as they navigate their way through cyberspace is important. Protecting them with censoring devices, such as Internet filters and parental "spyware," are becoming commonplace. But, even technological solutions aren't always enough. According to recent research, a large majority of kids are sure about what's right and wrong in real world interactions, but digital dilemmas are not as clear-cut to them.
            "While the Internet mostly mirrors kids' real world behaviors, the technology does amplify bad behavior and can make ethical lapses like cheating or illegal downloading easier," says Anastasia Goodstein, author of Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens are Really Doing Online and founder of Ypulse.com. "This is why it's crucial for parents to engage in conversations with their children about the choices they make online and off." 
            Consider the disparity in children's minds when asked about ethical scenarios in the "real world" and cyberspace. According to the results of the Harris-BSA study of 1,196 youth (ages 8 to 18), 94 percent said taking something from a store without paying for it is "always wrong" and 85 percent consider copying someone else's answers on a test as "always wrong." Yet just 61 percent say it is "always wrong" to download software without paying for it, and 59 percent report the same for downloading music or movies from the Internet without paying for them.
            "When one is copying, the victim is viewed as a person, but the victim is viewed as an abstract entity when one is downloading," explains Dr. Laurence Steinberg, psychology professor at Temple University and author of  The Ten Basic Principles of Good Parenting. "It is easier to steal when the victim can be depersonalized."
            Parents probably will be surprised to hear that they are not the primary consideration in kids' minds when it comes to the consequences of online actions. However, their impact is growing and results of recent studies vary based on children who are given rules about online behavior and those who are not.
            When children in the Harris study were asked what worries them about downloading software, music, movies or games from the Internet without paying, the top responses given were fear of downloading a computer virus (62 percent), downloading spyware (51 percent) and getting in trouble with the law (52 percent). Interestingly, fear of getting in trouble with parents ranked fourth with youth (48 percent). However, when comparing the 2007 study with the 2006 study, parental influence is growing. In 2006, 40 percent of kids reported getting in trouble with parents as a deterrent.
            Parental involvement is a critical reinforcement in continuing to raise awareness and educating their children about acting responsibly online. Youth reported in the 2007 study that parental oversight is a significant motivator and key influencing factor in their online behavior. When comparing the young people without parental rules to youth with parental rules, kids reported they are more likely to surf the Web (87 percent without parental rules vs. 63 percent with rules); buy something (55 percent without parental rules vs. 19 percent with rules); download software (52 percent without parental rules vs. 19 percent with rules); and, download music without paying a download fee (47 percent without parental rules vs. 16 percent with rules).
            Fortunately, the survey found that more than half of the students have been warned by their parents about dangerous, illegal online behaviors. Imposing rules and ensuring your children abide by them may be an old-fashioned concept for cyberspace, but it works.
            Encouraging kids to view cyberspace appropriately is key. Many resources exist, such as www.cybertreehouse.com where they may play games and learn about appropriate computer usage. Parents can visit www.playitcybersafe.com for free resources to teach children about good cyberethics, including a four-page comic book curriculum, fact sheets, articles and more.

Diane Smiroldo is Vice President for Public Affairs at the Business Software Alliance (BSA). BSA is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. Visit them at www.bsa.org