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Keeping your Children Safe on the Internet

 

As technology continuously advances and becomes more accessible, the more we must communicate with our children about what they are seeing and who they are interacting with online.  We have put together a few great ways to help keep your children safe while they are online and open avenues of communication with them.  At the bottom of the page you will find links to other websites with even more great information.

Some ways to minimize your child's risk of being victimized online.

  • Spend time with your children on-line. Have them teach you about their favorite on-line destinations.
  • Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in your child's bedroom. It is much more difficult for a computer-sex offender to communicate with a child when the computer screen is visible to a parent or another member of the household.
  • Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/or blocking software. While electronic chat can be a great place for children to make new friends and discuss various topics of interest, it is also prowled by computer-sex offenders. Use of chat rooms, in particular, should be heavily monitored. While parents should utilize these mechanisms, they should not totally rely on them.
  • Always maintain access to your child's on-line account and randomly check his/her e-mail. Be aware that your child could be contacted through the U.S. Mail. Be up front with your child about your access and reasons why.
  • Teach your child the responsible use of the resources on-line. This is an area that we push at the school.  Not only does it help keep them on appropriate sites, but it teaches them that not every website or source of reference is truthful.  Safe search sites we use at the school are:

http://kids.yahoo.com/

Formerly known as Yahooligans

http://www.askkids.com/

From the creators of Ask Jeeves and Ask.com

http://www.dibdabdoo.com/

http://www.kids.gov/

 

  • Understand, even if your child was a willing participant in any form of sexual exploitation, that he/she is not at fault and is the victim. The offender always bears the complete responsibility for his or her actions.

  • With advances in technology, many people are accessing the internet and using Instant Messaging (IM) from their cell phones.  If your child has a cell phone, make sure you pay attention to their uses of them.  Not only will this keep you informed about what your child is doing, but it might save you from an unexpected high phone bill.

  • Talk to your children and make sure they know:
     

      • to never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met on- line;

      • to never upload (post) pictures of themselves onto the Internet or on-line service to people they do not personally know;

      • to never give out identifying information such as their name, home address, school name, or telephone number;

      • to never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance there could be sexually explicit images;

      • to never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing;

      • that whatever they are told on-line may or may not be true.

 
 

Signs That Your Child Might Be At Risk On-line?

  • Your child spends large amounts of time on-line, especially at night.

  • Your child receives phone calls from people you don't know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize.

  • You find pornography on your child's computer.

  • Your child receives phone calls from men you don't know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize.

  • Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know.

  • Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room.

  • Your child becomes withdrawn from the family.

  • Your child is using an on-line account belonging to someone else.

If you suspect your child might be talking with a sexual predator On-line? This website has some great suggestions on how to handle it. Internet Safety

Software that monitors computer use is also available if you want to know what your child is doing when they are online and you are not around.  Here is a site that lists programs  and compares them by price and functions.

http://monitoring-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

This site lists software and has reviews of the programs, some of which are free, trial, or for purchase.

Download.com Monitoring Software

 

What is Cyber-Bulling?

Cyber-bullying refers to the new, and growing, practice of using technology to harass, or bully, someone else. Bullies used to be restricted to methods such as physical intimidation, postal mail, or the telephone. Now, developments in electronic media offer forums such as email, instant messaging, web pages, and digital photos to add to the arsenal. Computers, cell phones, and PDAs are new tools that can be applied to an old practice.

Forms of cyber-bullying can range in severity from cruel or embarrassing rumors to threats, harassment, or stalking. It can affect any age group; however, teenagers and young adults are common victims, and cyber-bullying is a growing problem in schools.

How can you protect your family?

  • Be careful where you and your child post personal information - By limiting the number of people who have access to your contact information or details about your interests, habits, or employment, you reduce your exposure to bullies that you do not know. This may limit your risk of becoming a victim and may make it easier to identify the bully if you are victimized.

     

  • Avoid escalating the situation - Responding with hostility is likely to provoke a bully and escalate the situation. Depending on the circumstances, consider ignoring the issue. Often, bullies thrive on the reaction of their victims. Other options include subtle actions. For example, if you are receiving unwanted email messages, consider changing your email address. If the bully does not have access to the new address, the problem may stop. If you continue to get messages at your new account, you may have a stronger case for legal action.

     

  • Document the activity - Keep a record of any online activity (emails, web pages, instant messages, etc.), including relevant dates and times. In addition to archiving an electronic version, consider printing a copy.

     

  • Report cyber-bullying to the appropriate authorities - If you are being harassed or threatened, report the activity to the local authorities. Law enforcement agencies have different policies, but your local police department or FBI branch are good starting points. Unfortunately, there is a distinction between free speech and punishable offenses, but the legal implications should be decided by the law enforcement officials and the prosecutors. Depending on the activity, it may also be appropriate to report it to school officials who may have separate policies for dealing with activity that involves students.

 

** Above all else, make sure that you talk with your children. Communication is the best way to keep your children safe online and in the real world.  Also remember that no matter how smart your child is, they are still a child and still learning how to use their best judgement.

We have listed a few links that have more information for you.

 

Technology Safety and Security Among Children, What Caretakers Need to Know  by Russell A. Sabella, Ph.D..  Dr. Russell A. Sabella is currently a Professor of Counseling in the College of Education, Florida Gulf Coast University and President of Sabella & Associates.

http://www.guardingkids.com/ 

 

The FBI's very thorough webpage on keeping your child safe and how to approach the issues that may arise.

http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm 

 

Guide to Understanding Online Chat and Text Messaging Acronyms (brb, lol, pos)

http://www.webopedia.com/quick_ref/textmessageabbreviations.asp

 

 

A public service brought by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help insure that families have safe, constructive, educational and entertaining online experiences.

http://www.getnetwise.org/

 

A resource focusing on Safety matters. Offers guidance for parents, and provides information and solutions to common internet safety issues.

http://www.cyberangels.org/parents/index.html

 

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team's site of information on Cyberbullying and how to deal with it.

http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST06-005.html
 

Educational resource from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Discusses various Internet safety topics. Great for kids, teens, and parents.

http://www.netsmartz.org/

Also from the same group, this site is more geared towards parents.

http://www.missingkids.com/

 

 

Through collaboration with the government, corporate, non-profit and academic sectors, the mission of the NCSA is to create a culture of cyber security and safety awareness by providing the knowledge and tools necessary to prevent cyber crime and attacks.

http://www.staysafeonline.org/

 

The Safe Side is dedicated to making kids safer and is home of the "Safe Side Superchick".  The site was created by Julie Clark, creator of Baby Einstein, and John Walsh, host of America’s Most Wanted.  In addition to publishing programs for kids and parents, the Company donates 10% of gross proceeds from distribution to The National Center For Missing & Exploited Children.

http://www.thesafeside.com/

 

The top search results for Child Safety from Google

http://www.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/Child_Safety/

 

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