Explaining the concept of piracy to kids can be very difficult especially with the great ease and wide availability of downloadable movies, music, games. TV shows, and software. We have been accustomed to associating secrecy and shame with criminal acts that it is sometimes hard to reconcile that what appears to be socially acceptable is in fact something legally prohibited. How do we explain to our children that such acts of downloading are categorized as piracy of copyrighted materials?
The best way of teaching children to go the right way is to lead by example. This requires parents to avoid illegal downloads since no one can preach what one does not practice. You cannot be saying one thing and doing another. Inconsistency between words and actions only leads to confusion especially for young minds who usually take the words of adults at face value. It has to be clearly explained that not because it is easy to do and their friends do it, it does not mean that it is right.Â
The justification that the download made is purely for personal use and not intended to be exchanged for any monetary consideration is beside the point. There are ethical and legal consequences of illegally downloading copyrighted material and kids have to be made aware of this. Many download innocently but we all know that ignorance of the law excuses no one.
Modern pirates now refer to people who download music, movies, games, and software . They use the creative works of other people without paying for them. Computer users should be aware that they can be turned over to authorities by their ISP Provider once connection to an illegal site is detected and large file download is flagged.
It is best to guide kids towards the right path early on so that they are made aware of responsibilities associated with using technology.