The internet is both a wonderful and a scary thing. While you can't stop your child from exploring today's technology, you can make sure that they use the internet in a responsible and safe way.
The internet is a wonderful thing - it provides us with endless information, countless images, and innumerable services. There isn't much debate that the internet is a powerful force in today's world. Unfortunately, there are downsides to the internet as well, especially for parents. Child molesters and predators use the internet to hunt for children to take advantage of. Private information can be sent to people who will use it to harm you and your family. You have to be safe when it comes to the World Wide Web. Children are often more computer savvy than their parents are, and that is why it is important that parents stay in-the-know about the internet. As a parent, it is your responsibility to make sure that your child is not putting himself or your family at risk through internet activities. Here are some tips for internet safety:
1. Computer Placement
While it is true that your child is very likely to use the computer and internet for school work and research, that doesn't mean you should allow your child to have a computer inside his or her bedroom. Even good kids are curious kids, and curiosity and the internet are a very dangerous combination when left unattended. If the computer is in a location in your home that isn't private, then the likelihood of your child visiting inappropriate websites or talking to strangers through instant messenger are going to be substantially reduced. You certainly aren't expected to leer over your child's shoulder at every keystroke, but if you are in the vicinity, it helps. Even a high-school aged kid really shouldn't have a computer in the bedroom; you're just better off playing it safe than being sorry.
2. Talk about Personal Information
Teach your child that it is NEVER okay to disclose personal information to someone over the internet. Kids should never give out their full name, address, telephone number, or even school district. Explain to your kid that there is nobody who is entitled to receive that information, no matter what anyone may say (in an e-mail or through instant messenger). Criminals will attempt to obtain personal information for many different reason, such as to hack into your computer and look at financial account information (in order to steal money) or commit identity theft.
3. You Have to Okay the Screen Name
If your child is over the age of ten, you may have deemed it acceptable to allow him or her to have a screen name (or instant message name) and an e-mail account. While it is perfectly fine to allow this privilege to your child if he or she has always been responsible with computer and internet usage, you should require that your child okay their choice for a screen name and e-mail address name with you before registering it. Make sure that your child's choice is not something that discloses personal information in some way. For example, if you child's name is Amelia Smith, her screen name shouldn't be ASmith12). Also, make sure it isn't something that is blatantly or subtly sexually suggestive. For example, HotTina14 is not appropriate - sexual predators are bound to look for children with particularly suggestive names over the ones that don't.
4. Don't Hesitate to Check Things Out
If you suspect that your child is engaging in inappropriate internet behavior, follow up your on suspicions. First, try confronting your child. If you don't get a straight answer, you may be able to get the truth from the computer itself. If you know about computers, then you know that you can check the history of internet pages visited, and you may be able to read e-mails (if you know the password for the e-mail account, which you should). If you aren't computer-literate, surely you know someone who is - ask them to come over and help you out. Also, don't hesitate to restrict your kid's internet and computer privileges if you find out that there has been inappropriate behavior.
5. Password Protection
Passwords are used as a safeguard for your computer and for internet access. If you do not want your children to use the computer without your supervision, create a password that is required in order to log into the computer. Keep in mind that passwords shouldn't ever be obvious numbers or words, like your birthday, telephone number, name, initials, address, or social security number. You can also customize the parental control setting on your computer to prohibit your child from entering or using certain internet sites and services.
