Online piracy is bad. Here's how to make sure your kids understand that.

http://dfm.denverpost.com/article/online-piracy-is-bad-heres-how-to-make-sure-your-kids-understand-that/1ea01316c3b25513c777ca0f5c3004f3

Susan Jennings, Digital First Media
April 10, 2014

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It wasn’t until years later while working as a journalist in a newsroom that was getting ready to add a pay wall that I began to fully understand the real-world effect of expecting that all online content should be free.

The people producing that content – whether they’re musicians, actors or writers like me -- are professionals working to support their families. By demanding that their music, films, shows, games or stories be available free of charge, I’m making it more difficult for them to make a living.

A study by the Institute for Policy Innovation found that piracy of sound recordings alone results in an annual loss of $12.5 billion to the U.S. economy, in addition to more than 70,000 lost jobs and $2 billion in lost wages.

I know that when my kids are old enough to go online, we’ll make sure to include a discussion about digital piracy along with conversations about safely using social media and protecting their online identities.

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Any of these actions could subject you to civil or criminal liability. Offenders could face paying thousands of dollars in damages or fines and end up with a felony record and jail time.

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Beyond all the legal concerns, there’s always a potential that you could put your computers and mobile devices at risk for malware and unwanted viruses when downloading files from an unknown source.

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These days, there are plenty of places you go to find legitimate and affordable entertainment online.

If your kids are looking for options, point them to iTunes, Pandora, Rhapsody or Spotify for music or Hulu, Netflix or Amazon for video. This content can be accessed for free, via a monthly subscription, or for a one-time fee.

And if they whine about having to pay a dollar for their new favorite song, remind them that if they really love the song and the artist, then they should be willing to support them.