Safety On The Internet

Computers and the Internet are a wonderful resource for children but there are also risks. Children, who are generally trusting of adults and curious about what they see online, are also there for exploitation through the Internet.

Children who surf the Internet are out in public and thus vulnerable to the influences of people they meet online. There is inappropriate information, including sexually explicit pictures, violent images, sexual messages and sales.

Facts About The Internet:

Internet Risks:

• Unproductive use of time: Too much time online can restrict their social development and involvement in other activities.
• Invasion of privacy: Information about your child such as their name, address and phone number can get into the hands of companies as well as people who are unsafe. Many sites for children request personally identifying information from users without first getting approval from parents.
• Verbal abuse: Children who talk with others in chat rooms may receive insults or abusive comments from other computer users.
• Harassment or threats: A child may be verbally harassed or threatened while in a chat room, through email or through bulletin board messages.
• Exposure to inappropriate information: Children may encounter material of a sexual, hateful or violent nature while on the internet even though they did not seek this information. They may stumble upon this material by using a search engine that does not filter out inappropriate information or by mistyping the name of a website.
• Physical harm: Children may provide information to other computer users that can lead to face to face meetings with them and risk of physical harm. If they give out their address this leaves them open to people coming to their home.

How To Keep Your Child Safe Online:

• Learn how to use the Internet yourself so you can check the messages and online sites that have been opened.
• Watch the sites your child goes to including chat rooms and instant messenger services.
• Give rules and post near the computer the information your child can type on the computer. If anything is outside these rules then your child needs to check with you.
• Monitor your child’s use of the computer by placing it in a common area of your house such as the living room or kitchen instead of the bedroom. Pay special attention to the files and games they download.
• Avoid computer games that can be downloaded that are both sexually and physically violent.
• You can check to see if your child is giving out personal information online by using a search engine to see if your child has been giving out this information online.
• Take time to surf the Internet with your child. This is an opportunity to teach them about ways to use the Internet safely and they can show you some of the more common sites they are using.
• If you find your child is spending more time online than you think is appropriate, consider setting a timer to limit their computer time.
• Install software on your computer that blocks access to offensive information on the Internet. Many online services and Internet service providers also offer ways to filter out offensive sites and restrict inappropriate email.
• Get to know your child’s online friends. This will help you monitor online influences.
• Ask your child to let you know if they come across offensive information online. While sexually explicit material is not prohibited on the Internet, child pornography is.
• Look for an online service that has a “kids only” area as your child will not encounter offensive or inappropriate material while in this area.
• Consider having a joint email address with your child so you can monitor their mail.
• Pay close attention to the chat rooms that your child enters. Perhaps sit with them sometimes when they are in chat rooms.
• You can use the history function on your browser to see which sites your child has accessed.
• Let your child know that people they meet online are strangers and not always who they claim to be. Tell them that because they can’t see or hear the person they are communicating with it is very easy for the person to misrepresent himself.
• Do not allow your child to arrange meetings or inform people online of the places they go to, including school, social outings, activities etc. Do not allow your child to send a picture of themselves online.

Suggestions For Your Child To Consider:

• Have a password that is hard for others to guess but easy for you to remember.
• Consider using a screen name that is different from your email address when using chat rooms to remain anonymous.
• Read the policies of your Internet service provider to find out how to decrease the number of commercial emails you receive.
• Use the features available on email programs and chat rooms that allow you to block messages from specific people.
• Consider using a gender neutral name when on the chat line to keep your identity safe.
• Don’t give passwords to anyone, including friends, members of a chat room or someone who claims to be from your Internet service provider.
• Don’t open emails, email attachments or files, pictures or games sent by someone without checking with an adult. Opening your email from an unknown source could harm your computer by exposing it to a virus.
• Don’t respond to any emails or chat room or bulletin board messages you receive that are offensive or upsetting to you. Press the “back” key or log off to end the online session and then let an adult know.
• Don’t send information in an email that you want kept secret. A recipient may post your message on a bulletin board and make it open to public viewing.
• Don’t say anything in a chat room or on a bulletin board that you would not want made public.
• Do not blame yourself or think you have done something wrong if you receive an offensive message online.
• Above all let adults know if anything ever happens on the Internet to upset or frighten you. Don’t keep it a secret.