Almost half (49 per cent) of young Canadians in Grades 7-10 use instant messaging everyday. An additional 20 per cent use it several times a week.
(Source: Kids' Take On Media, Canadian Teachers' Federation, 2003)

The Great News

• If you only have people you know on your list, IM is a much safer environment for online communication than chat rooms.
• You can stay in touch with friends and family who live in another place without the long distance charges!
• IM makes it easier to arrange your social life with a whole group of people at the same time.
• It's a great tool for school work. You can coordinate group projects, send homework files and get help in subjects from friends.
• IM is a great communication tool if you are shy or introverted.

The Not So Great News

• If you aren't careful when you sign-up for the program, your account could be set up so that anyone can contact you, not just your friends.
• Most IM software encourages you to create personal profiles that may include your name, age, e-mail address, home address, phone number, school and hobbies. This information is then made available to any IM user on the Internet.
• Some IM programs offer you the option to join in chat rooms with strangers.
• IM can encourage harassment, gossip and bullying behaviours.
• You can receive spam or viruses through your instant messaging program.

Some Quick Facts

• Research by MediaSmarts in 2001 showed that more than half of Canadian students say they "often" or "sometimes" talk in IM to people they've never met in real life.
• According to a 2002 Nielsen report, nine out of the top ten online destinations for U.S. kids and teenagers featured instant messaging tools and services such as downloadable IM icons and profiles.
• Teenage Life Online, a 2001 study from Pew Internet, showed that:
  • Seventeen per cent of instant messengers have used IM to ask someone out; 13 per cent have used instant messaging to break up with someone.
  • Fifty-seven per cent have blocked messages from someone they did not want to hear from and 64% have refused to respond to instant messages from someone they were mad at.
  • Twenty-two per cent of online teens who use instant messaging and email have shared their password with a friend.

Cool Uses of Instant Messaging

Parents using IM to talk to their kids
Yes, believe it or not it’s true: parents can learn to use IM and many do to talk with their kids (even when they’re in the house together!). Parents report that the discussions with their teens are more constructive and less emotional when they take place with instant messaging.

Use instant messaging language for a school project
Be creative. Translate a Shakespearean dialogue into a IM conversation -- think Juliet talking to Romeo on instant messaging instead of from a balcony.

Using instant messaging to conduct an interview
Researching for a school assignment? Why not use instant messaging to set up an interview with an authority on the subject.

Guidelines for Instant Messaging

Protect your privacy when you register for IM software. Many instant messaging problems can be avoided if you are careful when you register. Some companies are very aggressive in trying to make you give out more personal information than you should, so it's a good idea to have an adult sit with you when you are registering. Make sure that your permission is required before anyone can add you to their IM list. And avoid those "personal profiles!"

Create a buddy list of people you know. Only let people join your IM list if you know them in the "real world." Some IM software have a "chat with friends around the world" option, but remember - these aren't friends, they're strangers who may harass you.

Be careful, IM software makes it very easy for strangers to request to be on your buddy list. In fact, the program's default is to let them automatically join your contact list, making it very easy by clicking the 'ok' button.

Use IM software that doesn't offer access to chat rooms. Many IM programs have access to chat rooms that aren't suitable for kids and teens. Some programs link to chat rooms right on the opening screen, even if you have said "no" to the chat option when registering. To avoid this problem, check your IM program carefully to make sure you can "opt out" of chat options.

Don't share your IM username and password with anyone - even friends. Often kids will share their IM passwords with friends, who then misuse their accounts. Choose passwords that can't be easily guessed by others. Random combinations of letters and numbers offer the best protection against password theft.

Report spam to the instant messaging service provider. Even if you have set your IM program to only accept messages from people on your contact list, you may still receive junk mail or even pornographic spam. Use the "Ignore" function to block the sender and then report the spam to your IM service provider.

Disable any file-sharing options. Most IM programs offer a file-sharing option that allows users to download files to your computer's hard drive. Serious viruses can be sent to your computer this way. If you really want to be able to receive files from friends, make sure that the file sharing settings are set so that files can't be downloaded to your computer without your permission.

What about Netiquette and Instant Messaging?

Instant messaging can be lots of fun, but sometimes the jokes and humour in your messages can fall flat. Online conversations are different from real-world conversations. Kids will use slang like LOL (laughing out loud) or smilies : ) to show they are joking, but even with these indicators, problems can occur. Because the person you are instant messaging can't see your face or hear your tone of voice it's easy for jokes to be misunderstood - especially if you're using putdowns or insults as humour.

Problems can also occur if you:

• use IM to gossip and bad-mouth others
• use the password or IM name of a friend and then pretend to be them online

Think about it... Have you or your friends encountered any of these problems? Netiquette is a word that's used to describe good manners on the Net. What netiquette rules would you suggest to your friends to prevent problems like these from happening in instant messaging?

Instant Messaging Work Sheet

1. How is instant messaging different from online chat?
2. List three features that you're better off "opting out" of when you register for instant messaging software.
3. Why are personal profiles a problem?
4. What are some of the benefits of instant messaging?
5. Can your computer receive viruses through instant messaging?
6. What is netiquette?
7. Have you ever been harassed, threatened or bullied over instant messaging? What did you do about it?