Question: What are the risks of kids using data keys?
Submitted by Anonymous, United States of America, June 6, 2008.

Smith Answer: Data keys, often called thumb drives due to their small size, represent a tremendous risk. While technically cool, they can store lots of personal programs and data and be easily hidden away from parents, who often look to their home computer for hints of files that contain inappropriate content. These devices are fast becoming the choice for teenagers to conceal their activities. They often send/receive emails with file attachments named seemingly harmless, then save the real content type (i.e. video, picture, etc.) to their data key and hide it from their parents. It gives them the option to view and share at will under the parental radar. In addition, kids often swap and share programs that their parents have attempted to block via content filters. The only way to really see what's going on with this type of technology is to install stealth technology on your computer and look for behavior that includes concealing files, installing programs, or running programs from data keys. Once you have proof - confront your child and shut it down. If necessary, you can also disable the USB port to prevent the use of these types of keys. Please consult your computer's user manual on how to do that if it becomes absolutely necessary. -gss

Question: What are the risks of my 14-year old son using Facebook?
Submitted by Terry Johnson, United States of America, August 10, 2007.

Smith Answer: Terry - Facebook, like many other social networking sites come with risks for younger children mainly because of two reasons. One - younger kids tend to expose too much personal information about themselves online (pictures, email, school info, etc.), which can be used by sexual predators to target them. Two - while social networking sites can be great forums for communicating online, younger children are unaware of who they may be talking to. Thus - if you allow your children to access and use social networking sites, then you should monitor all of their content and conversations with PC Tattletale software. These forums tend to be riskier for younger children than older teens. If possible, hold off until your son is 16-17. -gss

Question: What sort of immediate consequences result from leaked information (by teens) (e.g. getting kicked off a sports team, hurting college chances, losing an after school job, getting tracked down by a stranger)?
Submitted by Maria Giffen, writer for Current Health 2, August 19, 2007.

Smith Answer: Maria - What's interesting about the Internet is that much of the content put there in one form or another is persistent and can be copied, moved, replicated, stolen, repurposed, etc. Thus - once a teenager puts out a piece of information on the Internet and leaves it there for any reasonable period of time - it's likely been re-used or noted in another database or offline medium. I've seen situations where teenager's pictures have been re-used by predators who use them to setup fake profile pages with the stolen pictures in an attempt to court / target their next prey. As teenagers get older and enter the job market - anything that has been posted that can be interpreted as negative, can be used against them with regards to their current employment and future job opportunities. Simply put - don't put a single thing on the Net that can be used against you in the future at any time. I use a simple approach when talking to teenagers - don't put anything about you on the Internet that you wouldn't post on the front door of your home, church, or school. -gss