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Keeping Children Safe Online
Children present unique security risks when they use a
computernot only do you have to keep them safe, you have to
protect the data on your computer. By taking some simple steps, you
can dramatically reduce the threats.
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What unique risks are associated with children?
When a child is using your computer, normal safeguards and security
practices may not be sufficient. Children present additional
challenges because of their natural characteristics: innocence,
curiosity, desire for independence, and fear of punishment. You need
to consider these characteristics when determining how to protect your
data and the child.
You may think that because the child is only playing a game, or
researching a term paper, or typing a homework assignment, he or she
can't cause any harm. But what if, when saving her paper, the child
deletes a necessary program file? Or what if she unintentionally
visits a malicious web page that infects your computer with a virus?
These are just two possible scenarios. Mistakes happen, but the child
may not realize what she's done or may not tell you what happened
because she's afraid of getting punished.
Online predators present another significant threat, particularly to
children. Because the nature of the internet is so anonymous, it is
easy for people to misrepresent themselves and manipulate or trick
other users (see Avoiding Social
Engineering and Phishing Attacks for some examples). Adults often
fall victim to these ploys, and children, who are usually much more
open and trusting, are even easier targets. The threat is even greater
if a child has access to email or instant messaging programs, visits
chat rooms, and/or uses social networking sites (see Using Instant
Messaging and Chat Rooms Safely and Staying Safe on
Social Network Sites for more information).
What can you do?
- Be involved - Consider activities you can work on
together, whether it be playing a game, researching a topic you had
been talking about (e.g., family vacation spots, a particular hobby, a
historical figure), or putting together a family newsletter. This will
allow you to supervise your child's online activities while teaching
her good computer habits.
- Keep your computer in an open area - If your computer is in
a high-traffic area, you will be able to easily monitor the computer
activity. Not only does this accessibility deter a child from doing
something she knows she's not allowed to do, it also gives you the
opportunity to intervene if you notice a behavior that could have
negative consequences.
- Set rules and warn about dangers - Make sure your child
knows the boundaries of what she is allowed to do on the
computer. These boundaries should be appropriate for the child's age,
knowledge, and maturity, but they may include rules about how long she
is allowed to be on the computer, what sites she is allowed to visit,
what software programs she can use, and what tasks or activities she
is allowed to do. You should also talk to children about the dangers
of the internet so that they recognize suspicious behavior or
activity. The goal isn't to scare them, it's to make them more
aware.
- Monitor computer activity - Be aware of what your child
is doing on the computer, including which web sites she is
visiting. If she is using email, instant messaging, or chat rooms, try
to get a sense of who she is corresponding with and whether she
actually knows them.
- Keep lines of communication open - Let your child know
that she can approach you with any questions or concerns about
behaviors or problems she may have encountered on the computer.
- Consider partitioning your computer into separate
accounts - Most operating systems (including Windows XP, Mac OS X,
and Linux) give you the option of creating a different user account
for each user. If you're worried that your child may accidentally
access, modify, and/or delete your files, you can give her a separate
account and decrease the amount of access and number of privileges she
has.
If you don't have separate accounts, you need to be especially
careful about your security settings. In addition to limiting
functionality within your browser (see Evaluating Your
Web Browser's Security Settings for more information), avoid
letting your browser remember passwords and other personal information
(see Browsing
Safely: Understanding Active Content and Cookies). Also, it is
always important to keep your virus definitions up to date (see Understanding
Anti-Virus Software).
- Consider implementing parental controls - You may be
able to set some parental controls within your browser. For example,
Internet Explorer allows you to restrict or allow certain web sites to
be viewed on your computer, and you can protect these settings with a
password. To find those options, click Tools on your menu bar,
select Internet Options..., choose the Content tab, and
click the Enable... button under Content Advisor.
There are other resources you can use to control and/or monitor
your child's online activity. Some ISPs offer services designed to
protect children online. Contact your ISP to see if any of these
services are available. There are also special software programs you
can install on your computer. Different programs offer different
features and capabilities, so you can find one that best suits your
needs. The following web sites offer lists of software, as
well as other useful information about protecting children online:
- GetNetWise - http://kids.getnetwise.org/ -
Click Tools for Families to reach a page that allows you to
search for software based on characteristics like what the tool does
and what operating system you have on your computer.
- Yahooligans! Parents' Guide - http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/parents/
- Click Blocking and Filtering under Related Websites on
the left sidebar to reach a list of software.
Authors: Mindi McDowell, Allen Householder
Copyright 2005 Carnegie Mellon University. Terms of use
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Last
updated
January 17, 2008
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