With a lot of other Digital resources we have had more time to explore and make sense of the medium: the potential and the dangers. With kids leading the way with this and the scale of the game. this may not be as much of an option as it has been in the past.
With children playing a game that has articles written about it with headlines like All the ways Pokemon Go might kill you and FALSE: 15-Year-Old Killed Trespassing While Playing Pokemon Go. As Digital Leaders who encourage the safe, ethical and savvy use of digital resources we thought we’d compile some safety advice, which is a crowd sourced effort as it is composite guidelines from all the articles we have read to date… and some safety issues are not new
There is advice on safety that recur a number of times, there is also a fair amount written about the privacy and Niantic. Equally there is some advice that only appear once in the articles that ask some REALLY interesting questions and highlight that averting some security/safety risks are within our control.
For example, Jin Ha Lee highlights the potential danger of having avatars that look like ourselves, a natural choice. But one that leaves us open to potential danger.
Or, if your school is a Pokestop, who owns the AR collateral that’s associated with the building or whether or not AR needs to be compliant with disability laws.
Compiling this safety advice has been an interesting experience, one that we hope to build on both in terms of looking at other perspectives and issues, collecting any other educators/schools safety policies and discussing good practice to ensure that students are being responsible citizens and digital leaders.
DigCit PLN Pokemon Go: Safety Advice
- Pokemon Go has safety measures in place to avoid these kinds of accidents. The app causes your phone to vibrate when a Pokemon is near so the player doesn’t need to keep a constant watch, and a Pokemon can be caught a short distance so that the player doesn’t have to walk into the street.
— UW iSchool (@UW_iSchool) July 20, 2016
- Just like anything in life, you need to use your common sense about staying safe. Don’t go to some random places at 2 a.m. just because you see the lures, although it might be tempting.
- if you go solo, then you tell other people where you’re going to be and what you’re going to do, so that they know how to reach you.
- People should be careful when they put a lure on a particular Poke Stop, every day at the same time at night. It probably shows that this person lives there.
- If you’re battling a certain gym every day at the same time, waiting for the bus, then people can figure out where you’re going to be at that time, where you’re going, possibly
- Do not to go places you normally wouldn’t go.
There have been some instances where people have trespassed by hopping the fence of a neighbor’s backyard or they have gone to a closed or run down dangerous location,”
- Always use common sense when you’re looking to find some Pokemon.
- Don’t go off to creepy places in the dead of night, even if there is a Squirtle in your neighborhood at 1:30 in the morning
- Watch for curbs, bushes, benches, etc. that can cause you to trip
- Don’t accidentally step into traffic because you’re looking at your phone
- Respect peoples boundaries. While many people will be delighted to talk about Pokemon, others may prefer to play alone.
Strangers of the World: Stop Hitting on Me While I Play Pokemon Go highlights how uncomfortable this player was with people approaching her.
I didn’t feel like talking to any strangers, so I kept walking, scanning the sidewalk for critters as I went. Soon after, a guy followed me down the street, then tapped my shoulder and gestured for me to remove my headphones. His opening line: “Are you playing Pokemon?” I nodded in silence. He smiled expectantly at me, clearly believing that a conversation should ensue between us. I put my headphones back on, and I walked away.
— Marsha Collier (@MarshaCollier) July 16, 2016
So, fellow trainers, here’s my parting advice for you: if you see another person playing
this game, don’t make it weird. Don’t follow them and stand too close trying to look at
their screen. Don’t tap their shoulder and ask them to take out their headphones and try to
talk to them. “Headphones” is, like, the universal symbol for “don’t talk to me,” okay?
— NY Times Travel (@nytimestravel) July 14, 2016
- My top pet peeve in New York City is the phone-consumed commuter, walking very slowly in front of me, often when I’m late for work.
— MUPD (@MUPDpolice) July 12, 2016
— UCF Police Dept. (@UCFPolice) July 14, 2016
- This one’s a biggie: Avoid playing Pokemon Go at the sites of unfathomable crimes against humanity, or at memorials for such horrors.
- Also, don’t play Pokemon Go in graveyards. Apparently this is a problem at Arlington National Cemetery.
- Don’t play Pokemon Go on staircases or other places where people might walk into or over you. This one should be obvious.
- Don’t go wandering onto private property or linger outside places that might upset neighbors.
- Keep an eye out if you’re headed for an unfamiliar neighborhood, or a place where you might run into trouble
- Just because you see someone else playing Pokemon Go, that does not mean they want to talk to you. Sometimes people would like to catch their Pokemon on their own. Respect their boundaries.
- Look around while playing to avoid accidents
- Do not have the app open during class, lectures, or labs. It is ok to play during class breaks and after class.
- Do not play after sunset or before sunrise
- If you play while riding on the shuttle bus, please don’t stand up
- If you plan to play for extended periods of time, stay hydrated
- Do not play while driving
- Do not trespass on private property.
- Watch where you are walking at all times
- Stop when you are catching a Pokemon
- Be very aware of your surroundings
- Playing with friends is safest rather than playing alone
- Do not play Pokemon Go in a secluded area or places you would not usually go
- Do not ride your bike, skateboard, or hoverboard while playing Pokemon Go
- Be aware of people, cars, bikes, construction sites, lawn mowers, trees, ditches, ponds, ledges, hills and holes
— U-M DPSS (@umichdpss) July 18, 2016
- Don’t let Pokemon kill your phone: Pokemon Go can quickly deplete your battery and data plan. This is not only annoying, but it also can leave you in an emergency situation without access to emergency services
— Oklahoma State Univ. (@okstate) July 15, 2016
- Carry a portable charger
- Bring bug spray
- Stay hydrated
- Don’t play the game while driving
- Wear comfortable shoes
- Obey traffic signs and use crosswalks
- Don’t trespass
- Stay vigilant as you play
- Play in well-lit areas.
- If you suspect you are being followed, call 911
- We encourage all people playing Pokemon Go to be aware of their surroundings and to play with friends when going to new or unfamiliar places.
— KQED (@KQED) July 12, 2016
- Know your surroundings and pay attention to where you are going/who is around you.
- Slow car paralleling a person on foot, might be a sign it’s a get-away car
- If you get the sense you are being followed or set-up for a robbery, head to a lighted area with people around
- Watch where you are going, please don’t look down at your phone while crossing streets, getting off buses, or even while walking. Obey traffic laws, please
- Do not run into trees, meters, and things that are attached to the sidewalk; they hurt
- Do not drive or ride your bike / skateboard / hipster techie device while interacting with the app
- Know where your kids are going when playing with the app, set limits on where they can go, so they don’t keep going trying to get that Pokemon
- Tell your kids about stranger-danger because the app may bring strangers together in real life at ‘pokestops’.
- Do not go onto private property, dark alleys, or areas that you usually would not go if you weren’t playing the game.
- And there you have it, folks. You might note that most of these tips are in fact just basic common sense for continuing to be an alive person in a city, but it sure is fun to reframe them as safety tips for Pokemon Go!
- Have fun out there, and remember: You’re still in the real world.
- There are several active construction sites on campus; these areas are fenced off and are not open to the public.
- The deputy chief of Cairo’s Al-Azhar, the most important scholarly institution of Sunni Islam, has declared Pokemon Go to be as illicit as alcohol.
— Tasneem N (@TasneemN) July 13, 2016