Some Tips for Children's Online Safety
Guidelines for Parents:
By taking responsibility for your children's online computer use, parents can greatly minimize any potential risks of being online. Make it a family rule to:
- Never give out identifying information such as, your home address, school name, or telephone number in a public message like a chat or bulletin board (newsgroup). Also make sure you're dealing with someone that both you and your child know and trust before giving out this information via E-mail. Think carefully before revealing any personal information such as age, marital status, or financial information. Do not post photographs of your children on web sites or newsgroups that are available to the public. Consider using a pseudonym; avoid listing your child's name and e-mail address in any public directories and profiles. Find out about your ISP's privacy policies and exercise your options for how your personal information may be used.
- Get to know the Internet and any services your child uses. If you don't know how to log on, get your child to show you. Have your child show you what he or she does online, and become familiar with all the things that you can do online.
- Never allow a child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with another computer user without parental permission. If a meeting is arranged, make the first one in a public place, and be sure to accompany your child.
- Never respond to messages or bulletin board items that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening, or make you feel uncomfortable. Encourage your children to tell you if they encounter such messages. If you or your child receives a message that is harassing, of a sexual nature, or threatening, forward a copy of the message to your ISP, and ask for their assistance. Instruct your child not to click on any links that are contained in e-mail from persons they don't know. Such links could lead to sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate web sites.
- If someone sends you or your children messages or images that are obscene, lewd, filthy, or indecent with the intent to harass, abuse, annoy, or threaten, or if you become aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography while online, immediately report this to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678 or go to www.missingkids.com.
- Remember that people online may not be who they seem. Because you can't see or even hear the person it would be easy for someone to misrepresent him or herself. Thus, someone indicating that "she" is a "12-year-old girl" could in reality be a 40-year-old man.
- Remember that everything you read online may not be true. Any offer that's "too good to be true" probably is. Be very careful about any offers that involve you coming to a meeting, having someone visit your house, or sending money or credit card information.
- Set reasonable rules and guidelines for computer use by your children. Discuss these rules and post them near the computer as a reminder. Remember to monitor your children's compliance with these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time your children spend on the computer. A child's excessive use of online services or the Internet, especially late at night, may be a clue that there is a potential problem. Remember that personal computers and online services should not be used as electronic babysitters.
- Check out blocking, filtering, and ratings.
- Be sure to make this a family activity. Consider keeping the computer in a family room rather than the child's bedroom. Get to know their "online friends" just as you get to know all of their other friends.
Children's Rules for Online Safety:
- Do not give out personal information such as your address, telephone number, parents' work address/telephone number, or the name and location of your school without your parents' permission.
- Tell your parents right away if you come across any information that makes you feel uncomfortable.
- Never agree to get together with someone you "meet" online without first checking with your parents. If your parents agree to the meeting, be sure that it is in a public place and bring your mother or father along.
- Never send a person your picture or anything else without first checking with your parents.
- Do not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make you feel uncomfortable. It is not your fault if you get a message like that. If you do receive a message that makes you feel uncomfortable, tell your parents right away so that they can contact the online service.
- Talk with your parents so that you and they can set up rules for going online. Together you and your parents will decide upon the time of day, the length of time and the appropriate areas to visit online. Do not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.
