Child Safety Online
It is difficult for parents to ensure their children can safely engage in online activity. The daily news is rife with reports of internet predators and underage Internet users are often unaware of the malicious intent of online acquaintances or sites with which they interact.
The Internet is an excellent source of 24/7 information, providing young people the opportunity to socialize, pursue their interests, and seek validation, but the Internet can also increase children's exposure to identity theft, hacking, and online stalkers.
How can parents help protect their children?
Home Computer Safeguards
Parents can ensure that the home computer provides safeguards.
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- Keep computers in the family room rather than the child's bedroom. It is more difficult for offenders to communicate with a child when the computer screen is visible to other family members.
- Research filtering, blocking or website rating applications to provide adequate content control.
- Monitor your child's interaction with online friends, just as you would their real time friends. Anonymous Internet contacts may not always be accurate. A twelve-year-old female's Internet identity may actually belong to a fifty-year-old man.
- Talk to your children with cellular phones about acceptable usage.
Away from Home
Parents should also be aware that the home computer is not the only way for their children to access the Internet. They can use the unmonitored computer at a friend's house, their school, the public library, a club or even a coffee house. In addition, game consoles, tablets, and mobile phones have the ability to connect to the Internet. For these reasons, it is important to openly communicate with your child to form healthy Internet habits.
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- Talk to your child about potential online dangers and sexual victimization.
- Teach your children about responsible use of online resources.
- Talk to your child's school, friends, and public library about putting safeguards in place regarding unmonitored Internet access.
- Teach your children the following:
- Never arrange a face-to-face meeting with anyone they meet online unless a parent is present.
- Never provide any personal information such as real name, phone number, address, social security number, school name, etc.
- Make sure their screen name does not reveal too much about themselves (do not use, name, age, hometown, etc.)
- Downloaded pictures can include unwanted programs, viruses, or sexually explicit images.
- Never respond to any messages or postings that are obscene, suggestive, harassing, or make you feel uncomfortable.
- Not everything they see or read online is true.
- Never post information they would not want others to see. They need to realize that once they post it, they cannot take it back. Even if they try to delete it, older versions often exist in cyberspace.
- Flirting with strangers online can have very serious consequences. Many people lie about who they are. You may never really know with whom you are interacting.
- Trust your gut feelings and report any suspicions. Immediately notify a parent, another adult, someone they trust, or even let the police know if they feel threatened or uncomfortable about any online activity. Prompt notification could prevent someone else from becoming a victim.
Additional Resources
Visit Child Safety on the Information Highway at http://www.safekids.com/child-safety-on-the-information-highway/. This site is sponsored by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (www.missingkids.com; https://www.netsmartzkids.org/). They also have a CyberTipline at https://missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline.
The Federal Trade Commission recommends the following sites (listed in alphabetical order) for tips and information from the federal government and the technology industry:
GetNetWise — https://www.getnetwise.org
GetNetWise is a non-profit organization supported by public interest groups, corporations, and associations representative of the diversity of the Internet community.
Keep Safe Coalition — https://www.iKeepSafe.org
iKeepSafe.org, The iKeepSafe mission is to provide a safe digital landscape for children, schools, and families by supporting the protection of student privacy, while advancing learning in a digital culture. To support this mission, we provide data privacy certifications to technology companies, educational resources to schools, and information to the community.
National Crime Prevention Council — https://www.ncpc.org; https://www.mcgruff-safe-kids.com/
The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is a private, nonprofit organization whose primary mission is to enable people to create safer and more caring communities by addressing the causes of crime and violence and reducing the opportunities for crime to occur. NCPC addresses Internet Safety with kids and parents through www.mcgruff-safe-kids.com and public service advertising under the National Citizens' Crime Prevention Campaign — symbolized by McGruff the Crime Dog and his "Take A Bite Out Of Crime."
National Cyber Security Alliance — https://staysafeonline.org
NCSA builds strong public/private partnerships to create and implement broad-reaching education and awareness efforts. This empowers users at home, work, and school with the information they need to keep themselves, their organizations, their systems, and their sensitive information safe and secure online, while encouraging a culture of cybersecurity.
Wired Safety — https://www.wiredsafety.org
WiredSafety is the first online safety, education, and help group in the world. Originating in 1995 as a group of volunteers rating websites and helping victims of cyber-harassment, it now provides one-to-one help, resources, extensive information, and education to cyberspace users of all ages on a myriad of Internet and interactive technology safety, privacy, and security issues.