The Internet can be a scary place for both kids and their parents. For children, they often don’t realize the dangers they face when they share personal information online. For parents, they often don’t even know what their child is doing online because they don’t understand the technology.
Internet safety really comes down to educating both parents and kids about how to behave on the World Wide Web. These Internet safety tips will help parents educate themselves and set clear boundaries in order to keep their kids safe online.
Social Networking Sites
Parents should treat their child’s social networking activity the same way they would treat their child’s “real world” social activity. They should visit their child’s online “hangouts” such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn and discover who their friends are. They should then talk with their child about his online activity and explain the dangers of sharing too much personal information.
Keep Computers in a Public Place
Most experts agree that children should not have Internet access in their bedrooms. Putting the computer in a public area of the house such as the kitchen or living room ensures that parents can monitor their child’s activities online. It can also curb a child’s temptation to chat with strangers.
Kids and Internet Safety
Children feel a sense of security on the Internet because they are not talking to people face-to-face. Parents need to explain to children that the World Wide Web is, in fact, the real world with real people who are not always nice. There are many websites to help parents educate their children about Internet safety.
Internet Safety Rules
Parents should post clear, simple rules near the computer so their children understand what is allowed on the Internet. This includes rules about sharing personal information such as full names, ages or addresses online. Parents should be consulted before any new website or email accounts are created.
Email Security
A child should have no more than one email address, and parents should have access to the account. Children should be taught to share their email address only with people they know and not to respond to any email message that is from someone they don’t know.
Online Games and Safety
Parents need to educate themselves about any online video games their child wants to play. They need to check the ESRB rating (kind of like a movie rating) to make sure the game is age appropriate. If there are parental controls available, parents should take advantage of them.
Many online games offer chat options. It’s up to the parents to monitor who their child interacts with online. They also need to monitor the amount of time their children spend playing online games because they can become addicting.
Internet Safety Resources
WiredKids.org Online Safety Resources for Parents: This site features an online safety guide for parents and specific Internet safety rules for parents and their children to follow.
A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety: This webpage is published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and includes a list of warning signs that a child may be at risk online and what a parent can do if he suspects his child is communicating with a predator online.
The National Crime Prevention Council: This site features a parent’s guide to social networking sites, advice for keeping girls safe online and a variety of products and publications from the organization’s mascot, McGruff the Crime Dog.
Keeping children safe online does not require expensive parental control software. Parents just need to educate themselves and their children about the dangers of the Internet be aware of their child’s online activities.
Kari Lomanno - Kari Lomanno is a high school English teacher and mother of two children ages 9 and 7. She lives in Chesapeake, Virginia with her husband ...
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