Internet Safety

The internet is an excellent resource for children. It provides help with their homework, communication with teachers and their friends and They can play interactive games. Any child who can press a few keys on the keyboard can access the world. But for children the internet can pose variable hazards, should a child be looking for a site about "lego", but accidently press the wrong key, as in "legs", they could be transported to sites with any number of things, especially pornographic material.

It is very important that parents are made aware of the dangers of what their children see and hear, who they meet and what information they give away on the internet. Talking with your children about your concerns, taking advantage of any resources there are available and keeping a close eye on their activities to protect them from any potential dangers, is of vital importance.

Online Safety Laws

There have been laws brought into force to protect children from internet dangers. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act is one such law. This Act requires websites to explain their privacy policies on the site and to obtain parents' consent before using a child's personal information, such as name, address, phone number. The law also prohibits a site from asking for more information than is necessary when signing up for a games site etc. But, however many laws are brought into force, no child is ever protected 100%.

The best protection for any child is YOU. By talking to your child and making them aware of any potential dangers, you will helping them to surf the internet safely.

Use Online Available Tools

Parents need to be aware of their child's activity and there are online tools to protect your child from accessing adult material. It is important that parents are aware of their child's computer activity and educate your child about online risks. Most ISPs provide parental control options, blocking certain material from a child's eyes. There is software that helps block access to a "bad site" list, normally provided by the ISP(Internet Service Provider).

Filtering programmes stop sites from coming in and restrict your child giving out their information. There are also programs to monitor and track your child's online activity. Also, it is a good idea to create a screen name for your child to protect his or her real identity.

Be Involved In Your Child's Online Activity

• Become computer literate and learn how to block objectionable material.
• Keep the computer in a common area, not in individual bedrooms, where you can watch and monitor your child.
• Share an email account with your child so you can monitor messages.
• Bookmark your child's favorite sites for easy access.
• Spend time online together to teach your child appropriate online behaviour.
• Forbid your child from entering private chat rooms; block them with safety features provided by your Internet Service Provider or with special filtering software. Be aware that posting messages to chat rooms reveals your child's email address to others.
• Monitor your credit card and phone bills for unfamiliar account charges.
• Listen to your child if he or she reports an uncomfortable online exchange.
• Forward copies of obscene or threatening messages you or your child receives to your Internet Service Provider.
• Call the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 001-703-274-3900 or email us here. If you are aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography online, or if your child has received child pornography via the Internet, contact your local police.

• Never swap personal photographs in the mail or scanned photographs over the Internet.
• Never reveal personal information, such as address, phone number, or school name or location. Use only a screen name.
• Never agree to meet anyone from a chat room in person.
• Never respond to a threatening email or message.
• Always tell a parent about any communication or conversation that was scary.

Caution With Chat Rooms

A chat room is a virtual online room where a chat session takes place. Chat rooms are set up according to interest or subject, such as skiing or a favorite TV show. Because people can communicate to each other alone or in a group, chat rooms are among the most popular destinations on the Web - especially for kids and teens.

But there are hazards to chat rooms for children. There have been incidents where kids met "friends" who were interested in exploiting them through chat rooms. No one knows how common chat-room predators are, but paedophiles (adults who are sexually interested in children are known to frequent chat rooms.

These predators sometimes prod their online acquaintances to exchange personal information, such as addresses and phone numbers, thus putting the kids they are chatting with - and their families - at risk.

Many paedophiles pose as teenagers in chat rooms. Because many kids have been told by parents not to give out their home phone numbers, pedophiles may encourage kids to call them; with caller id, the offenders instantly have the phone numbers of the children.

Emailing

The easiest way for children to communicate with friends, but emailing brings with it hazards like viruses, usually in an attachment, spam etc. Some sites have kids only email boxes, AOL has KOL, Yahoo has Yahooligans.

Make sure your children never give out their real names, addresses or email anyone they do not know.

Instant Messaging (IM)

When a child goes to middle school, emailing bites the dust. The Instant Messaging phenomena takes over.  Your child`s  activities are more difficult to control, they can change their screen name or the skin of the IM window. Children can transfer their IM messages to their cell phones and this can lead to cyber bullying via text. Let your children know your rules: never give out passwords - never agree to meet a stranger - set a time limit that your child spends on the computer.

Blogs

A Blog is a shortened version of “web log” and they are a wonderful way for your children to become creative.  A blog works like a diary of a child`s day to day activities, but under no circumstances shoul any personal information be added to the blog. Parents may not even know their child has a blog, but it is worth remembering that 1 in every 5 kids is sexually solicited online.

Social Networking

Sites such as MySpace, Bebo, Facebook, You Tube, Xango, Live Journal are all Social Networking sites and can be a good way for your child to meet new people. Each of these sites have privacy policies, but some are more stringent than others. However, it is advised that no child of middle school age or younger should join any of these sites.

Is Your Child A Victim - The Warning Signs

There are warning signs that your child is being targeted by an online predator. Your child may be spending long hours online, especially at night. If there are phone calls from people you don't know or unsolicited gifts arriving in the mail, it's a good idea to ask your child about any internet contacts. If your child suddenly turns off the computer when you walk into the room, ask why and monitor computer time more closely. Withdrawal from family life and reluctance to discuss online activities are other signs that you need to look more closely at what your child is doing online.

Contact your police if your child has received child pornography via the Internet or if your child has been the victim of a computer sex offender.

By taking an active role in your child's internet activities, you'll be ensuring that he or she can benefit from the wealth of valuable information the internet has to offer, without being exposed to any potential dangers.