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Keep Your Kids Safe
On The Internet
It is common now to hear about the dangers which may be lurking on the internet for our children. The internet is an exciting place full of information and fun, but sadly there are a few people who use the internet to hurt people and to commit criminal acts.
Here are some simple steps that you can take to keep your children safe while surfing the internet.
Use Parental Controls Wisely
Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer parental controls which allow you to monitor your children’s email, to block your children from accessing certain types of websites and will log their internet activity. You can also buy software which you install on your computer to do this too. Some of the best known are Webroot, Sentry and Net Nanny.
However, you cannot set up these controls and become complacent about your children’s safety. You must assume that eventually your children will find out how to get around them. Parental controls only work in conjunction with continuous monitoring.
Monitor Your Children’s Internet Use
This is the single most important thing that you can do to keep your children safe on the internet; there is absolutely no better way to ensure that they do not visit inappropriate websites or strike up potentially dangerous online friendships. The ways that you can do this are:-
- Keep the computer which they use for surfing in a room used by all the family. A computer in your child’s room should not have internet access.
- Talk to your children about internet use and what they might come across. Encourage them to talk to you about what they are doing online so that you can create an atmosphere of trust on the subject
- If you are at all suspicious, get monitoring software which will keep logs of what sites they visit, what they say in chat rooms and what emails they send and receive. If you discover that your child has tried to delete any logs, be very suspicious.
Teach Your Children To Be Wary
Teach your children to question everything they see on the internet. If a screen pops up ordering them to click it they should always check with a grown up before they do, because they may be allowing spyware or a virus to be downloaded onto the computer. Explain to your children that not everything they read on the internet is true.
The Information Your Child Should Never Post On The Internet
Your child should never give out any of the following details on the internet; their full name, their address, their home or mobile phone number, their email address, their school, clubs or organisations that they belong to or any other personal information that they would not tell a stranger. Do not allow them to post photographs of themselves. They should also never give out this information about anyone else.
Emails
Explain to your children about Spam. Teach your children to never open an attachment in an email unless they know the person that it came from, because it could contain a virus or material that you would not wish your child to be exposed to. If your child receives an email that upsets them in any way, encourage them to talk to you about it.
Chat Rooms
Online chat rooms are becoming increasingly popular, but this is another area to make sure your child learns to be wary. People can take on any identity that they wish so your child needs to understand that people may not be who they claim to be. Your child should never, ever give out personal details in a chat room. They should also never agree to meet anyone they get to know in a chat room unless they have an adult with them. Make sure they understand that if their new internet friend suggests that they do something behind their parent’s backs, this person probably means them some harm.
The Internet is Not Anonymous
Many people feel that because they are sitting at home, hidden behind a computer, anything they do or say has no effect on anyone. This is not true. Insults posted on the internet hurt as much as any others, so remind your children that they should always behave with consideration on the internet.
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