The Internet is a wondrous place, full of fun and adventure. However, for our children it can be a dark dangerous place.
Adults are able to process information and draw conclusions, most children are not able to do this effectively. They tend to believe instead of disbelieve. This makes them easy targets for people who intend to prey upon them.
Consider these facts:
- One in 5 children were solicited for sex in the past year.
- One in 4 children were exposed to photos of people having sex.
- About 1 in 17 children were threatened or harassed on the Internet, including threats of harm to the child, friends or other family members.
With that in mind, here are eight tips to follow to help keep them safe when online. Print them out and post them next to your child’s computer.
- Never give anyone personal information such as your address, telephone number, or where you go to school.
- Let your parent’s know right away if you see any information that makes you feel uncomfortable or afraid.
- Offline meetings can be dangerous! Never agree to get together with someone you "meet" online without first checking with your parents.
- Do not respond to any messages that are bad or make you feel uncomfortable. Tell your parents right away so that they can take care of it.
- Parents and children should set up rules for going online. These rules should determine the time of day that the child can be online, the length of time and appropriate areas to visit.
- Do not give out your Internet password to anyone, other than your parents.
- Always check with your parents before downloading or installing software or doing anything that could possibly hurt your computer or jeopardize your family’s privacy.
- Do not do anything that hurts other people or is illegal.
I strongly believe that you should only allow your children online when they can be directly supervised. At the very least, place the computer in a heavily trafficked area. This will give you a better chance to monitor their activities.
Children are a great joy, as well as a great responsibility. Accept that responsibility and do everything in your power to keep them safe!
Programs like PC Tattletale can help you monitor your child’s activities online by alerting you to potential dangerous behavior.
Do you really know what your child is doing on the Internet?
With PC Tattletale you will…
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