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Friday, July 28, 2006
common sense on keeping kids safe on the internet
The internet is a great resource, placing a world of information at our finger tips. More and more American kids – an estimated 77 million in 2005 – are using the internet to do everything from complete their homework to talk to their friends. Unfortunately, some adult predators are also going online to try to communicate with kids in inappropriate ways. Indeed, one Congressional study found that one in five children say they have been inappropriately solicited online.
When it comes to protecting your children while they are online, the old adage is true: knowledge is power. I hope that the following information will help you ensure that the internet is a safe medium for your children to use.
What can I do to keep my child safe when they use the internet?
-- Place computers in your living room or family room so that you can keep an eye on what your kids are doing online.
-- Use parental controls or blocking software to restrict what sites your children are allowed to visit
-- Instruct your children NOT to put pictures of themselves on the internet or to give out their name, phone numbers, home address, school, or other personal information
-- Tell your children not to download pictures from an unknown source
-- Make sure your child understands that what people say online might not be true
-- Educate yourself on what websites your children may be visiting on the Internet. Learn about social networking sites like myspace.com, the facebook.com, and friendster. Also familiarize yourself with other communications technologies that your children may be using such as IM (Instant Messenger), RSS (Really Simple Syndication), and blogs
-- Find out what computer safeguards are used at your child’s school, library and friends’ homes
-- Tell children to inform you the moment they get an inappropriate message online and then report it to the site it originated from and possibly to law enforcement.
-- Read the FBI’s “Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety,” available at the following address: http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm. This is a great resource that educates parents about the dangers of the internet and additional warning signs that your child may be at risk online.
