Internet Safety Tips for protecting your children from dangers on the Internet
The World Wide Web is one of the most widely used information and entertainment mediums in existence today. Much of the information online is legitimate, trustworthy and helpful. Unfortunately, the Internet also contains websites that are offensive, misleading and even dangerous to children. By taking safety precautions, you and your child/grandchild can maximize the good qualities of the Internet while reducing the potential risks.
INTERNET SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS
- Monitor your child’s Internet use consistently. Keep the computer in a public area of the house. This is not a violation of your child’s privacy; this is a safeguarding measure and part of your responsibility as a parent. Keep in mind that your child’s personal websites and/or blog is a public domain, not private property.
- Decide on a reasonable amount of time that your child can spend online each day and be prepared to enforce it.
- If your child belongs to a social networking site (MySpace, Facebook, Tagged, Xanga, etc), look closely at what information they have posted in their member profiles and blogs, including photos and videos. Predators, bullies, profanity and threats often occur in these types of sites.
- Find out what other websites your child’s social networking site is linked to. Sometimes your child’s web pages may be safe but they may be linked to a site which could endanger them (a pornographic site, a site in which a friend mentions your child’s phone number, a site slandering school administrators).
- Talk to your child about your Internet safety concerns in a positive way and give them the opportunity to make safety resolutions that you can both live with (example, how much time can be spent online? Are chat rooms permitted?).
- Explain that your kids should: Never give out personal information (name, address, phone, school name), NEVER meet anyone from online without your permission, NEVER open emails from unknown senders and NEVER share their photo with strangers over the Internet. Shared photos are an easy way for a predator to find a child or modify your child’s image for pornographic use.
- Encourage your children to bring anything strange or upsetting to your attention and don’t overreact when they do (fear of losing Internet privileges is why kids don’t tell parents about problems—and why they may start surfing the web somewhere else).
- Stay in touch with your kid’s online activities. Know who their online friends are (and who is on their buddy list), just as you would their other friends.
- Learn how filtering and monitoring software can assist you in protecting your children (check with your Internet service provider to find out if filtering or monitoring is available for free with your provider). However, don’t rely completely on software to protect your children. Education and parental involvement are the primary methods of prevention.
- Internet accounts should always be in the parent’s name. The parent should maintain the primary email account and be in charge of all passwords and parental controls. Kids should never share their passwords with anyone other than their parents.
- Notify the police if someone your child met online starts calling them, sending gifts, or trying to lure them from home.
- Discuss what constitutes an inappropriate use of the Internet (harassing others, bullying, using profanity, looking at pornography, making purchases without your permission, etc) and what the consequences will be.
In summary:
- Do speak with your child about their Internet habits and your safety concerns
- Do set a limit for how much time your child can spend online
- Do keep the computer in a public place
- Do install safety software and monitoring software and keep it updated
- Do NOT overreact or threaten to take away the Internet if your child tells you about something bad that they experienced online
- Do encourage your child to teach you what they know about the Internet
- Do NOT allow your child to have an online profile
- Do NOT hesitate to get help if you think a predator may be targeting your child
- Do get to know your child’s online friends as you would their real-life friends
Internet Safety Dangers and what to do
Pornography
One of the biggest dangers of the Internet is the prevalence of online pornography. Even non-pornographic sites sometimes have “free-samples” of porn, which children can access without proof of age or other identification. These free samples are plentiful since the Internet does not have guidelines or restrictions to prevent minors from viewing pornography.
The Web has more than just pornographic pictures; it also offers graphic videos, online chats, live nude peep shows and much more. For this reason, the online pornography industry makes Playboy magazine look tame. Most pornography sites offer free introductory viewing in an attempt to entice children to want more and eventually become paying customers.
What to do: Pornography on the Web is unavoidable so don’t assume your kids haven’t seen it. Explain to your kids why they should avoid looking at pornography and instruct them what you want them to do if they accidentally open up a porn site. Warn them not to open email attachments from strangers because these often contain pornographic images. Visit a computer store to purchase filtering and monitoring software to help block porn from your computer and to help you know what sites your child is visiting and how often. Use the parental controls that come with your Internet service provider’s software. You could even invest in a home firewall to protect your family and your computer from Internet porn. Always check your credit card bills for any unauthorized charges that may indicate that your child has subscribed to an online porn site.
Misleading or False Information
Have you ever unintentionally ended up somewhere you didn’t want to be? This happens all the time on the World Wide Web. Sometimes a misspelled word or an incorrect extension can prevent you from getting to the site you want, or worse, it could take you somewhere you’d never want to be. Sometimes your search may take you to a website which contains information that is a stretch of the truth or blatantly false.
Some websites have addresses that deliberately mimic the addresses of real websites, but with minor alterations. These misleading websites are called “stealth” sites. Many stealth sites are geared towards kid’s interests and feature the names of popular toys or pop singers with slight misspellings. Kids who visit these sites often find themselves exposed to pornography, hate literature, or gang violence. Some stealth sites mislead users by switching the end of the web address. For example, a wholesome site that ends in “.net” might be replicated as “.com” with disastrous consequences.
Other websites contain information that is completely misleading or untrue. For example, the Web site “www.malepregnancy.com” may mislead some children who do not realize that this site is more of an online tabloid than a valid source for medical information. Children can easily come across this type of misleading information through e-mail spam, through advertisements on websites and by inadvertently typing in the wrong thing when performing an Internet search.
What to do: Talk with your kids about the World Wide Web and explain to them that anyone can post information online and not all of the information they find is necessarily true. Encourage them to double-check the accuracy of information they obtain online with you or another trusted adult. Suggest that your children use a search engine such as www.google.com or www.yahoo.com to locate things online instead of just guessing at website addresses.
Illegal Downloads
Downloading music, videos, movies and software is growing in popularity among young people because it is fast, cheap, customizable and it feels anonymous.
Programs such as Napster, Kazaa, Morpheus and Limewire are just a few of the file sharing software programs that kids use to download files. Downloading audio and video files that you have purchased is okay, but sharing them with other people is considered stealing because it infringes on media copyright regulations. Basically, whenever a child copies files from someone else’s computer using file sharing software, there is the danger that they are breaking copyright laws.
Authorities are starting to monitor and bring criminal charges against people who illegally download and share music. Simply by locating your computers ISP address (your computer’s unique serial number that is linked to your physical address), the authorities can come right to your home.
Another point to consider is that downloading files from other people’s computers puts you at risk for inadvertently downloading computer viruses, Trojan horses, or spyware/adware to your machine. (A computer virus or a Trojan horse can cause your computer to malfunction, even to become permanently disabled. Spyware allows people outside your home to track what you are doing online. Adware will cause your computer to fill up with electronic junk mail called spam.)
What to do: If your child has downloaded music in the past, ask a computer savvy friend to check your computer for any adware or spyware that may be currently running on your computer without your knowledge. Be aware of blank CD’s lying around and check them for downloaded music or movie files. Explain to your kids that downloading music is not only illegal, it is also risky.
Uncensored Access
Curiosity is characteristic of children and with the World Wide Web, a child’s curiosity can take them anywhere. Many children are curious about sex and may look online for more information. Usually they will end up at a porn site.
Other children are looking for a role model and may spend significant time visiting the fan sites of their favorite bands, picking up beliefs and values that may conflict with your values.
Adults have an important role to play in making sure that their children’s curiosity is satisfied in acceptable and safe ways. Sometimes without realizing it, a curious child may discover something on the Internet that frightens or concerns him. Another child’s curiosity may lead him into the company of people who could be a bad influence on him.
What to do: The Web is not a baby-sitter. Keep the computer in a public area of your home so that you can easily keep track of what sites your child is visiting. Talk to your children and find out about their interests. Encourage them to come to you with their questions instead of looking everything up on the Internet. Creating a computer usage contract with your child is also a good idea. Invest in filtering and monitoring software to block inappropriate sites from being available to your child when they surf the Web.
Potential Dangers on the Internet
While much about the Internet is helpful, potential dangers are also just a click away on the Web.
Even something as private as email can be a potential danger. Child predators, posing as children, often begin a relationship with a child in a chat room and then turn to using email and instant messaging to deepen the relationship. The rate of children being abducted by people whom they met on the Internet is increasing every day. The child predator operates by initially luring the child with kindness, friendship and gifts. Often the predator will then transition into a phase of manipulation and possessiveness in which they begin to assume control over the child’s life and decisions, either aggressively or subtlety. The predator’s final and most dangerous move is to entice a child to meet him in person.
If kids investigate sites about hate, racism, bombs, gangs, drugs, gambling, terrorism and cults, they may end up being aggressively targeted by the extremist groups who run the sites. These groups regularly recruit children and force them to participate in activities that are illegal and dangerous. Instruct your kids never to give out their personal information or download anything from someone they don’t know. If your children download material, they may unwittingly download software that allows extremist groups to spy on them. If they sign up to be on a mailing list, they may inadvertently be providing their personal information to someone who would exploit them.
What to do: Warn your children not to give out personal information when visiting websites and remind them not to read or respond to emails or instant messages from people they do not know. Make sure they understand that they should never meet anyone in person without your permission. Pay attention to how much time your kids spend on the Internet and try to limit their usage to a reasonable amount of time. Be especially wary if you see your child undergoing a mood or personality change, if they start receiving gifts from a stranger, or if they seem to be withdrawing or hiding from their family—these are all signs that someone may be threatening or manipulating them.
Gang Violence
Playing computer games on the Internet is increasing in popularity among teenagers. The Web allows children to play video games both with friends and with people they have never met. Games on the Web range from racecar games to checkers to violent terrorist wars. Besides the fact that the content of some games is objectionable, online gaming has also led to an increase in gang violence. Gangs of kids have begun meeting “outside” the game to settle disputes that have arisen in the game.
What to Do: You can’t assume that your kids are safe when they are playing games online. With the violence related to online gaming increasing, it is really important for you to know if your kids are involved. Talk to your kids about what they are doing online and talk to a computer-savvy friend who can help you determine if your kids are “gamers.”
Setting ground rules at home is good, but remember that your kids can play games from a friend’s computer as well as at an Internet café. To help protect your children at home, you should talk to them about the dangers of online gaming, be ready to listen if they seem upset about something that happened while they were on the computer and encourage them to use wisdom when deciding what type of online games to play. The more violent the game—the more violent the “gamers” and their affiliated gangs could be.
