Keeping your Children Safe on the Internet
In order to keep your children safe online, it is important that parents know some simple tips about online safety. Remind your children not to provide any personal information, including but not limited to, their family situation, school, phone number or address. Children do have rights when it comes to Internet use. They are not required to give out private information to anyone, without the expressed permission of their parents. This includes websites from reputable companies.
Keep in mind that not everyone is who they say they are. An example of this is a person might say they are 14 year old girl form Minnesota but in reality they are a 45 year old male from Nevada looking to meet under-age girls or boys.
The biggest threat to security is making plans to meet with someone they met online. Always keep in mind that you never know for sure whether the people they meet online are who they seem. If your child feels that it is okay to meet someone in person that they met online, ensure that they talk with their parents beforehand and never go to the meeting alone. The safest method is to have parents talk with the parents of the other person. The parents should join their teen on the first meeting. Make plans to meet in a public place like a coffee shop or mall and NEVER go alone.
The Internet is useful and is a vast resource of information. With little or no effort, your child can come across sites that contain violent, hateful, and explicit sexual content. In addition, there are many sites that give instructions about how to make drugs, bombs, and other dangerous items. Make using the Internet a family activity. Place your computer in a family or living room and check the screen periodically. Be involved with what your children are doing online. Let them teach you about Internet if they are more familiar with it than you.
The internet is a great resource and by adhering to some simple online safety tips, your children should be allowed to navigate and explore the internet with confidence.