Parents,
your child has a 1 in 6 chance if they are in the internet
they will be approached by a predator. The internet is and can
one of the best resources for your child, but it can also be
the most dangerous. First and foremost be sure in a public
space in the house. Not only does it keep everyone in touch with what your
little angel is watching/doing, it also affords you the chance
to interact and discover new things together.
Never give out personal information. And by personal
information, I mean name, address, school, parents’ names,
phone numbers, email addresses, etc. Some websites ask for
this information, but it’s not mandatory. If it is, your child
should ask you before he types any of it in and you need to
have that discussion with your child so they know that they
shouldn't provide this information. And you should
make sure that that information is not publicly available. If
your child gets an email that says that he won an iPod, Xbox
or anything that sounds unbelievable and
that all he/she has to do is fill out the form, you need to let
him/her know that it’s a scam. Most kids are delighted to win the iPod and will give away any and all information. They don’t
have the same life-experience as you and you need to
communicate this to your child.
You need to know the websites that he
or she is clicking on. If your
child is very young, he won’t be surfing from one place to the
next so quickly. He’ll need your help. Try helping them build
a favorites page list so that they will not be tempted to look
on their own and find something inappropriate. When your kids get
older, they should know that the Internet is public and that
wherever they go online, they’re leaving a trail that you can
follow – so he/she shouldn’t go anywhere that he/she knows is not
right. If your child is being secretive, ask him/her where he/she
goes online. This should be an ongoing dialogue. You don’t let
them watch any TV program they want, so why would you let them
run wild on the Internet without your input? It does good to
periodically go over and see what they are doing. Get
involved.
Stay involved and participate! Not just for safety, but for a
shared experience. There is so much to discover online: music,
science, travel, games, art. The wealth of information and
experience available could have a profoundly positive
influence on you and your kids. It's amazing that just taking
a few minutes to overlook what they are doing can stop any
problems before they start.There are also lock boxes or
programs you can put on the computer (similar to tv) to
control what, where and who your child visits, communicates
with on the internet. Here are just a few;
Child Control
Kids
Watch
Access Boss
PC Lock
Up |