As a parent, you can’t always be
there to watch over your kids as they make each keystroke, nor would you want
to. However, there are some very easy things you can do today to reduce the
risk for your kids. Every parent can do these things.
Practical ways to protect your kids on the Internet:
Take the computer out of the kids’
rooms and place it in a common area in the house. Your kids are much less
likely to do something if other people are around. Your kids will be more
aware, and that’s a good thing.
Talk to them. Sounds simple,
doesn’t it? Just talk to them about personal security. It’s just like reminding
them to lock the door when you’re out. Remind them to “lock” the Internet door.
Here are two important things to tell them:
Don’t give anybody your password.
If anybody gets your password, they can find out all your personal data, and
some people will use that.
Don’t give strangers your address.
You just don’t want strange people showing up or stalking you. And this may
sound silly, but it’s already happened. There are weirdos on the Internet who
use fake identities. And don’t give your phone number to strangers either.
Look at their MySpace and Facebook
pages. A friend of ours found out that his daughter’s 13-year-old friend had
posted pictures of herself in her underwear on MySpace. Her parents never
looked at her MySpace pages. Kids don’t have adult judgment; that’s why they’re
kids. There have been two confirmed abductions of girls who displayed
confidential information on MySpace, including a girl abducted in a mall
outside Boston this year.
Look into Internet monitoring
software, low-cost products that invisibly monitor the activities of your kids,
and privately email you the results as often as you like. The best of these
software products track Internet sites visited, downloads, chat room conversations
and IM.
Meanwhile, experts offer these Top 10 Rules kids to follow to help
ensure their safety:
Never give out identifying
information such as your address, phone number, school name, town, etc. in chat
rooms, forums, forms or questionnaires.
Never agree to meet anyone in
person that you have met online.
Never reply to any email, chat
messages, or forum items that make you feel uncomfortable.
Never send information or pictures
to anyone over the Internet that you do not know.
Never give your password to anyone
except your parents, no matter who they say they are.
Be aware that people may not be who
they say they are. Someone who says she is a 10-year old girl may really be an
older man.
Never click on links in emails from
people you don’t know.
Don’t order anything or give anyone
credit card information without your parent’s permission.
Always tell your parents if someone
upsets you or makes you uncomfortable.
Always follow your parents’ rules
regarding computer use.
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