Warning to Parents Who Use Moshi Monsters

picnmix

suki1001 wrote: »

I'm warning it's not safe. I think children are aware personal information shouldn't be given out, but as far as I can see tiny snipets of information have been pieced together by finding information out from several people, cleverly done, cleverly obtained. I'll let you imagine the rest. Yes, it is every parents worst case scenario. I'll just add nobody went to meet anyone. It was an extension of stranger danger. I hope that is enough information for you.

Now this IMO is the problem with Moshi, its those silly messages that can get sent to anyone by anyone and are available for everyone to see. I know my niece sent a message to my DD with her name on it, within 10mins she had received a friend request from someone she didn't know saying Hi ********, because we had talked to her and explained the dangers she showed me straight away and the person was blocked on her account. I do think that this is a problem with the site.

suki1001

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

Seriously - you do not have to be either well educated or well informed to work out that just because a website is called a cutsie name and markets directly to children, that adults can also get through the net and directly talk to these kids.

By questioning HOW parents are thinking this - it is highlighting the issues surrounding the ignorance of some parents.

But apparently questioning how these parents think it's safe isn't allowed. The irony eh?

No, even if your child is internet savvy, adults can be very clever. You aren't asking about the ignorance of parents. You aren't questioning parents, you are asking a parent. It's hardly scientific research. I'd say rather than asking me what I do, and personally I'm not forth coming in any information to you as you clearly just want to judge my actions as a parent. I've told you I have told my children about the dangers of the internet, so why that is not enough I don't know. Perhaps you would like me to write an essay on how I look after my children. I'm not sure how this benefits you in anyway whatsoever, apart from your own personal smugness, if I might have in some way got it wrong. Perhaps you expect parents to be perfect, well guess not - we're not. You might be astonished at that fact even.

You might find it obvious - are you saying I shouldn't start a thread up to warn others about a particular site. It seems to have helped a few people so far. Should we delete it?

Sambucus_Nigra

suki1001 wrote: »

No, even if your child is internet savvy, adults can be very clever. You aren't asking about the ignorance of parents. You aren't questioning parents, you are asking a parent. It's hardly scientific research. I'd say rather than asking me what I do, and personally I'm not forth coming in any information to you as you clearly just want to judge my actions as a parent. I've told you I have told my children about the dangers of the internet, so why that is not enough I don't know. Perhaps you would like me to write an essay on how I look after my children. I'm not sure how this benefits you in anyway whatsoever, apart from your own personal smugness, if I might have in some way got it wrong. Perhaps you expect parents to be perfect, well guess not - we're not. You might be astonished at that fact even.

You might not find it obvious - are you saying I shouldn't start a thread up to warn others about a particular site. It seems to have helped a few people so far. Should we delete it?

No - but you said you thought it was safe. And you started a thread on it. And I'm discussing with you [even though you don't want to discuss it back].

So - what about the site made you think it was safe? If you haven't got an answer, and you just thought 'aah well, it's got a cutsie name, and it's marketed at kids, it'll be fine' then why not say that?

DanE2010

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

What reaction? Complete astonishment that people think the internet is safe? So she can be astonished that it isn't safe, but we're not allowed to be astonished that she was astonished? Fascinating.

Your reaction and the way you keep grilling the OP as if she is stupid or has done something wrong is the problem, no need for it.

No need for it imo.

heretolearn_2

It seems perfectly blooming obvious to me that these sites are no 'safer' for children than any other and that any child's access to the internet needs to be closely supervised and parental controls put in place.

However, I also realise that I am someone who uses the internet a lot myself, but there are lots of people - even those young enough to have young children - who don't. At all. Or only in a limited sense of maybe work emails. I work with several people who have no interest in or knowledge of any of this stuff. People younger than me. As far as they are concerned the most of the internet is some sort of gigantic kid's toy. They have NO IDEA of what is on there and would probably be horrified if they did. If they knew their kid could get to two girls one cup or lemonparty or whatever in a couple of clicks they'd probably start to take it seriously.

My own OH is naive in these things - he set up a laptop for stepsons at our house with no parental controls - boys are very young teens. I had to put parental controls on when I found out, but they are still unsupervised. I told him why and he said 'they won't go looking for !!!!!!'. ha. like hell they won't, if they don't trip over it by accident any way. He only uses computers for work, has never used Facebook, skype, messenger, anything like that, never gone on YouTube, wouldn't know a meme if you slapped him round the face with one. He's educated, intelligent, uses PCs all the time...just not interested in this side of it. And people like that don't know how much they don't know.

I'd personally not allow a child to have a phone with any kind of internet access either. I bet there's lots who are supervised/parental controlled on the home Pc, but on their phone?

Are they ignorant of a whole area of life that has become integral to basic existence to many others, including their children? yes. Are they rather silly to be letting their kids loose on something without finding out about it first? Yes. Are they stupid/bad parents? No.

suki1001

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

No - but you said you thought it was safe. And you started a thread on it. And I'm discussing with you [even though you don't want to discuss it back].

So - what about the site made you think it was safe? If you haven't got an answer, and you just thought 'aah well, it's got a cutsie name, and it's marketed at kids, it'll be fine' then why not say that?

Ok, I tell my children to not make friends, I tell them not to give out an information about themselves. My children have never made friends with anyone on that site. I am not saying I thought it was completely safe, but for example on club penguin it someone swears or even makes an offhand comment, you get banned, straight away. I thought if a member goes on MM and asks for pictures of someone and their address, that it might have filters to pick that up immediately. It being a childrens site with risks. That doesn't mean I put my children at risk, I take my responsibilities as a parent very seriously, but it does mean as a parent, I would have thought that the site would have extra security measures to protect children and it doesn't.

emsywoo123

Er just to chuck a question out there......I'm sure *some* of you will have an opinion........ :cool:

DD (8) goes on Club Penguin unsupervised (I don't mean I pop to Tesco, I mean I might be doing the washing in another room......)

BUT she has this type of account:
Ultimate Safe Chat:
Players can choose from a set menu of phrases and will only see other Ultimate Safe Chat messages

So surely weirdos cannot send messages to her?

thegirlintheattic

emsywoo123 wrote: »

Er just to chuck a question out there......I'm sure *some* of you will have an opinion........ :cool:

DD (8) goes on Club Penguin unsupervised (I don't mean I pop to Tesco, I mean I might be doing the washing in another room......)

BUT she has this type of account:
Ultimate Safe Chat:
Players can choose from a set menu of phrases and will only see other Ultimate Safe Chat messages

So surely weirdos cannot send messages to her?

That should be safe - it was the part shown to us as a good example during CEOP training.

Should point out that on other sites the main worry is not someone asking for loads of personal details from a child - usually it is a gradual build up with little snippets of information being picked up -especially if the offender can get the child to link with them on a picture site like Facebook. These little pieces of information can be put together very easily, even easier if a child uses the same username on multiple sites. For example - a discussion about football can lead to fav. teams being discussed, one off comment about they are my local team can give the offender a broad location. Speaking about teachers they don't like can produce a teachers name - that may be enough to get hold of your child's school name.

Sambucus_Nigra

emsywoo123 wrote: »

BUT she has this type of account:
Ultimate Safe Chat:
Players can choose from a set menu of phrases and will only see other Ultimate Safe Chat messages

So surely weirdos cannot send messages to her?

What's to stop them from sending messages? Albeit 'pre-chosen' phrases? Nobody vets the users do they?

Sambucus_Nigra

suki1001 wrote: »

Ok, I tell my children to not make friends, I tell them not to give out an information about themselves. My children have never made friends with anyone on that site. I am not saying I thought it was completely safe, but for example on club penguin it someone swears or even makes an offhand comment, you get banned, straight away. I thought if a member goes on MM and asks for pictures of someone and their address, that it might have filters to pick that up immediately. It being a childrens site with risks. That doesn't mean I put my children at risk, I take my responsibilities as a parent very seriously, but it does mean as a parent, I would have thought that the site would have extra security measures to protect children and it doesn't.

But those security measures can be got round by any adults that also know the rules...no site is completely safe so if the kids know the rules you can bet adults do to and will exploit them any way they can.