How To Keep Your Child Safe On the Internet

Goals:  Parents will be able to

• Understand some of the dangers that are currently on the internet
• Identify warning signs that their child is engaging in dangerous or illegal behavior
• Learn ways to supervise their children’s internet use

1. The number one way to keep children safe is supervision of internet use.  Supervision can be by the parent or a trusted adult.  Suggested ways to supervise include:
   • Placement of Internet-connected computers in family areas like the kitchen or family room
   • Do not allow children to use internet in a closed-door environment, such as a bedroom. 
   • If a child will be home alone, or home ill, disconnect the internet.
   • Since virtually all parents pay for the internet access in a household, create a contract for internet use that children must abide by to keep internet privileges.

2. Use caution when engaging in internet business transactions.

·        Use a toolbar like “Google Toolbar” (a free download) to block pop ups.

·        Use an email SPAM blocker like Microsoft Outlook or Norton to block unwanted email.

·        Never give “updated contact information” to unsolicited emails from financial senders, like Visa, Citibank, or Paypal.  This is an attempt called “Phishing” that leads to identity theft.

·        Use a single credit card with a low balance to buy any items online. 

·        Look for an image of a padlock in the lower right hand corner to indicate a secure internet commerce site.

3. Chat rooms:  Be careful who you trust online and remember that online friends are really strangers. People online, no matter how long you have been talking to them or how friendly they are, may not be who they say they are.

·        Meeting someone you have only been in touch with online can be dangerous. If you feel that you ‘have to’ meet, then for your own safety you must tell your parent  and take them with you – at least on the first visit – and meet in a public place in daytime.

·        Stay in charge in chat. Keep your personal information secret when chatting online (name, address, telephone number, mobile number, private email address, picture), even if people ask for this. Although it can be tempting to reveal more than you normally would in online friendships, giving out personal information can make you vulnerable.

·        Check your profile and make sure it doesn’t include any personal information (name, address, telephone number, mobile number, private email address, picture).  Get away from an unpleasant situation in a chatroom by logging out (this just takes one click) or by changing your screen name.

·        Think before you answer private messages. It can be harder to end a conversation in a private chat than in a public chat. A private chat may end up being more personal than you like.

·        Use a nickname, not your real name as a screen name, and a nickname that is not going to attract the wrong type of attention. (i.e. “Sexygirl69”)

·        Look out for your friends and do something if you think that they are at risk.

·        Tell your parent if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried.

·        Learn how to keep/save a copy of the conversation in chat – this may be useful if you want to report something.

·        Usually children have large amount of names in their buddy lists.  Audit their lists:  Ask them who the people are.  If they don’t know their real names, school they go to, and you don’t know the parents, delete the name.

·        Know the abbreviations your kids use.  It is a language all its own.  Did you know “PIR” means “Parent in Room” or “PLOS” means “Parent looking over shoulder”?  A person on the other end will change their language to “So how was that class project” to throw off parents.  Learn the abbreviations here:  http://www.noslang.com/dictionary/

·        Know tricks that kids use.  For example, if you are coming to check on them, they may turn the font white on a white screen, making the screen appear blank.

4. MySpace and Other online “Meeting and Social Network Places”

All adolescents know about this.  It is an online bulletin board where any text, photos, profiles, and music may be posted for the world to see.  Much the same way adolescents use tattoos and piercing to express themselves and to get attention, the internet can serve the same need but with a much larger audience and greater ramifications.

·        You can do a search on MySpace for your child’s name

·        Cyber bullies exist:  They post slanderous statements about your child OR pretend to be your child and post statements about others.

·        Reinforce with kids that anything that is posted; words, pictures, quotes, creates a web footprint that can never be deleted and can haunt them forever—future employers surf the internet to find out about potential employees.

5. Warning Signs that Your Child Might be Getting Involved in Trouble on the Internet

·        Cryptic emails or phone calls from people you don’t know

·        Requests to spend night at a friends house that you don’t know

·        Losing interest in normal activities to spend more time online.

6. Additional things parents can do to protect their children:

·        Using internet explorer, view sites they’ve visited.:  Go to viewàexplorer baràhistory       If it is blank and deleted, they are probably hiding something.

·        Check out tips on www.safekids.com

·        Contact local law enforcement if you suspect illegal or questionable activity.

Bottom line:  Supervision and education is the best way to protect kids.