Kids outsmart Web filters

Last November, Ryan, a high-school sophomore, figured out a way to outsmart the Web filters on a school PC in order to visit the off-limits MySpace.com while doing "homework" in the computer lab.

A teacher eventually spotted the social network on the screen in front of "Ryan," a fictitious name for a real student attending school in Phoenix, Ore., a small town with a population of about 5,000. The teacher flagged the activity for the school's technology expert, who then followed Ryan's tracks online through the school network.

Ryan had apparently set up a so-called Web proxy from his home computer so that when he was at school, he could direct requests for banned sites like MySpace through a Web address at home, thereby tricking the school's filter. (Web, or CGI, proxies can be Web sites or applications that allow users to access other sites through them.)

MySpace reaching out to parents

The media frenzy around MySpace.com has struck a nerve with parents fretting about what their kids are doing online.

Now the social networking site, along with other Net companies and child advocate groups, is trying to calm those parents about what their kids are doing online and what tools they have to deal with it.

E-bullying on rise, say experts

The use of new technology such as text messaging in order to bully children is increasing, researchers have said.  A survey over four years of more than 11,000 children found nearly 15% had received nasty or aggressive messages. And researchers from York have seen a steady increase in children suffering from this form of "cyber-bullying", a Cardiff conference will hear on Friday. Girls were more likely than boys to report being bullied by e-mail and SMS, the survey reported.