Task Force Recommendations
for best practices for child online safety.

Recommendations for
Best Practices

The rise of the Internet as a principal communications platform - and its many ramifications for social interaction, interpersonal communication, and behavioral development - has spurred the creation of a global community of concern about the impact of this new communications paradigm on the cognitive and physical health of children, families, and society at large.

In the United States alone, many interest groups are looking at this issue, including those comprising parents, educators, researchers, health care professionals, celebrities, law enforcement officials, business leaders, legislators, and policy makers. These groups operate at all levels of jurisdiction, including local, state, regional, and national. Their overarching goals encompass ensuring the personal safety and health of children as they act and behave within a new communications infrastructure, and helping families understand and appreciate the impact and many aspects of these new technologies. This category of concerns is characterized by many names, including “online safety and Internet literacy.”

Recognizing Challenges

The daunting challenges for those in the community of concern include the global nature of the Internet and its infrastructure; the steady and accelerating pace of technological change that is constantly reshaping the Internet; and the nature of this communications infrastructure as a global ecology in which the online “virtual” world overlaps the physical “real” world of human beings and their behavior.

By their very nature, solutions and strategies for family online safety frequently are suggested and considered in silos, or pushed to a single level of jurisdiction (e.g., school, community, state) that is effective in addressing just some part of the challenge. Compartmentalized or jurisdictional solutions are especially challenged due to the ubiquitous and global nature of Internet technology and services, which, with few exceptions, respect no geographic boundaries. Just as it has become virtually impossible to fully restrict a child's access to mass media and the Internet, it is also overly optimistic to expect to control elements of the Internet from a single state, city, or town, however well intentioned jurisdictional efforts may be.

The nature of online safety and Internet literacy also transcends the critical and necessary work of law enforcement, to which society has turned to patrol cyberspace and protect cybercitizens in the virtual world just as it does in the physical real world. This conviction is rooted in the knowledge that prevention, punishment, and justice address only some of the manifestations of the new Internet society. Voluntary efforts by industry and all stakeholders in the Internet ecosystem are vitally necessary, to build a safe foundation for activities in cyberspace, promote education and awareness about online safety issues, and encourage collaborative activity within the community of concern.

This commitment to voluntary efforts gave rise in 2008 to the PointSmart.ClickSafe. blue ribbon task force for best practices in online safety and Internet literacy (See “Task Force Background”). The participants in the task force, formed at the conclusion of a Washington, DC, summit on online safety and Internet literacy in June 2008 (panel findings: Appendix A), are acutely aware of these dynamics and understand that they form the backdrop for any prescription for progress in this field.

Parallel Progress

The task force is also aware that its many deliberations since its June 2008 inception haven't occurred in a vacuum, and that in fact major work in many quarters, bearing concrete and positive results, has moved the needle and raised the bar for those seeking to provide further enhancements to online safety.

• Some of that work has occurred outside of the U.S., such as the recommendations of Dr. Tanya Byron’s review, “Safer Children in a Digital World” that resulted in a further nationwide online safety initiative of the Home Office in the U.K.
• Other quality work has occurred in the U.S., such as the extended deliberations and conclusions of the Internet Safety Technical Task Force convened by The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, which produced a variety of recommendations on what various groups, organizations, and individuals could do to improve the state of online safety and Internet literacy.

In addition to these kinds of large-scale and collaborative efforts, many consumer, civic, and law enforcement groups have initiated measures to address online safety issues and increase public awareness and education. Among these efforts:

• Many companies that comprise and support the delivery system for online services have taken voluntary action in support of safe Internet use for families.
• Many legislative bodies at all jurisdictional levels have enacted useful statutes contributing to improvements in online safety.
• Schools in a variety of states and jurisdictions have found forceful and creative ways to address these issues for children and families within the educational environment.
• Public health officials have reported progress on understanding the mental and physiological impact of hours spent online, and have recommended mechanisms for maintaining a healthy mind and body in the new communications environment.
• Researchers in several disciplines have helped us to understand the issues involved with online safety and their prevalence, the effect of those issues on children and which approaches are most likely to work. For a review of the research relating to child online safety,
  see Appendix B.
• A robust body of thought and opinion on online safety and digital literacy has emerged through other means such as traditional and online publishing, social networking, conferences and public meetings, and other communications channels, offering a colorful palate of ideas ranging from contextual and background thinking, to specific tips and recommendations for success.

The PointSmart.ClickSafe. Task Force acknowledges these efforts and deeply respects the intellect, energy, and passion behind them, and many task force members have been personally involved in this work. One objective of the PointSmart effort is to build upon the work that precedes it, and to use those efforts to inform further recommendations. Another objective is to focus on “harmonizing” the many solutions and recommendations that have been generated to date.

Importance of Best Practices for Industry

Even those objectives are challenging for a single group of stakeholders gathered during a finite period of time. The PointSmart group - comprising representatives of network and infrastructure operators, Internet service providers, content companies, the Internet industry, and concerned groups of educators, public health officials, parents, and families - therefore asked itself what its contribution could be to improving the state of online safety and Internet literacy.

The task force first recognizes that the responsibility for children's online safety is equally shared across a wide ecosystem of interlocking and overlapping groups. Parents, teachers, child advocates, health professionals, providers of Internet access and content, law enforcement officials, and other concerned citizens all have a shared responsibility to ensure that a child's use of digital technology, and particularly the Internet, is as safe and enriching an experience as we can make it. Furthermore, the task force recognizes that each of these groups must act on its responsibility - all parts of the ecosystem must act in harmony - so a good outcome for Internet safety can be achieved.

With this in mind, and based on the state of play and the very nature of Internet infrastructure and services, the group has chosen to focus on the role and accountability of industry in ensuring online safety and Internet literacy. To be sure, many companies in the Internet industry already have substantive practices in place including providing parents with technology-based tools, resources and information. Examples of these current approaches to best practices can be found in Appendix C of this report. The task force in its work builds on these approaches and, taking into account the perspectives of other stakeholders concerned with children's online safety, recommends a wide-ranging series of best practices that can be adopted, implemented, and emulated by the various companies that comprise the Internet industry. These voluntary measures are suggested as a way of raising standards for all companies engaged in serving Internet users and thus creating a more friendly, safe, and productive online environment for children and families.

Among the many alternatives discussed by task force members, to help families feel safe within a certain website or online environment, was a suggestion that companies aligning themselves with best practice efforts could display an icon on their websites or services, to offer visual evidence of the provider’s involvement in online safety best practices. This suggestion was open to broad and differing interpretations regarding the merits of an icon and how it could be used in a practical and effective manner and, as such, the task force could not reach agreement on recommending the use of such an icon. Nonetheless, the task force was able to reach agreement on a broad set of meaningful recommended best practices which can be adopted and implemented by companies in order to demonstrate and enhance their commitment to users and the public at large, to online safety and digital literacy.

The best practice recommendations, which are designed to span all sectors of the Internet industry and which should be applied selectively based on a company's role and mission, should also serve to help achieve better harmony in online safety efforts. And with a commitment to monitor implementation efforts going forward and issue additional suggestions and recommendations as warranted, the PointSmart.ClickSafe. Task Force will continue to strive to unite the many stakeholders in this area to focus on continual enhancements and improvements.

What Should Government Do?

With some members of the PointSmart.ClickSafe. Task Force focused on the nexus between federal policy in this area and business practices, the group also has contemplated the oft-repeated question: What should government do to enhance online safety and Internet literacy?

The federal government currently supports online safety efforts through a variety of programs. They include:

• The Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) provides grants for state and local law enforcement programs, and related efforts by non-profit organizations, to prevent crime and support mentoring of at-risk children and youth.
• The OJJDP also funds Internet Crimes Against Children initiatives to help state and local law enforcement agencies enhance investigations of offenders who use the Internet or other computer technology to sexually exploit children.
• The Federal Trade Commission has a Web site, www.OnGuardOnLine.com, that provides a variety of tips from government and industry to help families protect themselves online. Most of the tips are focused on computer and online security issues, such as protecting against fraud and identity theft.
• Congress recently made changes to the E-Rate (Universal Service Fund) program, which helps schools get Internet connections, and schools that receive E-Rate funds are now required to provide Internet safety education to students. However, under these changes, no additional funds were set aside for Internet safety education.
• The Broadband Technology Opportunities Program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in the Department of Commerce will bring new efforts to expand broadband access. Advocacy groups - including members of the PointSmart.ClickSafe. Task Force - have worked to encourage policymakers to use some of those funds for programs that teach digital literacy and online safety.

There are also a wide variety of state and local government efforts, such as the Virginia initiative in which the state Department of Education has published “Guidelines and Resources for Internet Safety in Schools.”

One key insight from the work of the task force is that while the issue of online safety - like the Internet itself - spans many audiences, stakeholder groups, and jurisdictions, most Internet safety efforts have been both fragmented and granulized to the local level where there is often a significant lack of coordination and resources. More coordination at the national level supplemented with adequate resource development is needed.

Current and previous Congresses, as well as both the former and current Administration, have focused considerable energy and resources in addressing these issues. As this report is released:

• Several bills are pending in the 111th Congress following enactment of related legislation in the 110th;
• The Online Safety and Technology Working Group (OSTWG) is at work within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce;
• A public inquiry on parental control of media has commenced at the Federal Communications Commission; and
• Senior policy makers throughout the Executive Branch are considering online safety and Internet literacy issues and contemplating further activities.

The PointSmart.ClickSafe. Task Force publicly acknowledges the excellent recommendations for government activity released late in 2008 by the Family Online Safety Institute

To further build on these and other initial efforts, the PointSmart.ClickSafe. Task Force recommends that policymakers take other important steps, including:

• Expanding online safety efforts to emphasize online smarts, through digital media literacy and education programs that empower parents and teachers to prepare kids to navigate the world of online and digital media. These efforts will be significantly improved with more focus on education, rather than only on crime prevention.
• Designation by the President or Congress of a lead federal agency that would work collaboratively and comprehensively with all major stakeholders in marshaling resources for the improvement of online safety and Internet literacy and coordinate the activities under diverse federal programs. Some PointSmart.ClickSafe. partners have suggested that the Department of Education would be ideal for this purpose, so that federal projects are better connected with the goals of educators; more likely to be adopted and utilized by schools, state school systems, and community programs; and make a stronger connection with parents and families. There may also be synergies with the work of the White House office of cyber security that the Obama Administration intends to create. Regardless of which agency is identified, designating a lead agency would be helpful.
• Consideration by education policymakers to adopt a set of national goals for online safety, including if possible minimum standards for a curriculum on digital literacy, to better educate children and families about how to manage the media that daily infuse our lives.
• Ensure that all digital literacy and online safety programs are funded through competitive grants open to qualified applicants, with periodic review and assessment built into the grant process, so that the results from the best programs can be replicated in other communities.
• Support digital literacy and online safety efforts by providing funding for:
  • Research on the learning potential of digital media
  • New modes of assessment and evidentiary standards
  • Professional development for teachers
  • Curriculum development and implementation for students
  • Public awareness campaigns for parents and families and
  • Research designed to identify, highlight, and promote best practices and further solutions to improve digital literacy and fortify online safety.

Finally, recognizing the pivotal role of industry in ensuring steady improvement in this field, the task force suggests that voluntary activity strongly supported by industry is likely to be significantly more effective than legislated or mandated solutions; and that “light touch” regulation in this area is the superior approach for encouraging resource-rich companies to design progressive and innovative solutions, both now and in the future.

Additional Findings

Elsewhere in this report of the PointSmart.ClickSafe. Task Force, we explore the the “ecosystem” of shared responsibility in online safety; discuss the challenges of managing online risks; examine the limits of public policy as it applies to technological advancement; and offer appendices that cite specific examples of existing best practices as they are employed by several companies; report out on the findings and proceedings of the PointSmart.ClickSafe. Summit on Online Safety and Internet Literacy from June 2008.