MXit has contacted the South African Police Services (SAPS) to offer its support in bringing those that abuse its platform to book and to offer the police social media training.
This is part of an anti-cyber crime initiative by the social network. It has also introduced more stringent security guidelines for its network globally.
MXit says, in addition to its normal safety features, it adopted a number of new security measures. These include allowing users to manage their privacy settings by enabling or disabling their profiles in public searches.
“We have worked really hard to make MXit one of the safest social platforms available anywhere, and we simply will not condone any abuse of our platform or potential abuse by any person in our community of users,” says Juan du Toit, marketing and business development executive for MXit.
Be vigilant
The network says that, despite the safety and security features available, it urges users to be vigilant when engaging on social platforms and the Internet.
“We urge our younger users to be careful when engaging with people that they do not know. The only way that a person can chat or engage with another on MXit is if the user approves him or her as a friend. Please use common sense when engaging on any social platform,” comments Du Toit.
The network bans users that are caught being irresponsible and doing anything that puts other users at risk. Parents are able to block the chat room features if they believe their teens are not abiding by the rules.
Some of the network's security measures include chat rooms being moderated for 14 hours a day, a chat room blocking feature for parents, chat rooms being split into age groups to ensure appropriate interaction, and the private chat room feature being disabled for users aged between 13 and 17.
MXit adds that typing in a “.rat” command, when in a chat room, will allow a user to report any abuse they may experience on MXit.
“MXit then receives the authority to see the last 30 strings of this conversation; and will follow up within six to 12 working/office hours.”
Defamatory material circulating on the network must be reported to support@mxit.com.
Big brother
The Wireless Application Service Providers' Association (WASPA) says cellphones in general are a potential challenge for parents if not managed correctly.
“Being a parent in the modern world is a frightening task, as the massive changes we have seen in technology over the past 20 years mean there is no precedent for how to deal with the dark side of this technology explosion.”
WASPA chairman Leon Perlman says parents often worry about the possibility of their child gaining access to adult material. Other concerns include the dangers of cyber bullying and of meeting strangers in chat rooms. There are also monetary concerns around premium-rated services.
Perlman suggests that concerned parents spend some time researching safe cellphone usage for children, as there are a number of Web sites created for parents that bring together useful information in one place.
He adds that some of the advice available on the Web says if parents come across evidence of inappropriate mobile contact with a child they should keep a thorough record and report it as quickly as possible to the local authorities. Printouts are not sustainable evidence and electronic evidence and live data is needed.
Also, parents may want to block access to certain inappropriate material if this facility is offered by the mobile operator.
”We must be prepared to put rules in place for our children, talk to and educate them around technology, and most crucially, put in the time and effort to learn and use the selfsame technological tools they do. After all, understanding what they are doing and how they are doing it will more easily enable you to be a parental protector, rather than a 'big brother',” notes Perlman.
WASPA says two useful Web sites specifically relevant to the South African environment are www.cellphonesafety.co.za and www.parentscorner.org.za.
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