June 17, 2010
The level of computer access our children have today is unprecedented. In the U.S., more than 35,000,000 children from kindergarten to 12 grade have internet access and it is estimated that 80 percent of U.S. children grades 5-12 spend at least one hour per week on the internet, forty-one percent of whom do not tell their parents what they are seeing and doing. For this reason, the U.S. Senate has designated June National Internet Safety Month in an effort to provide citizens with the opportunity to learn more about and raise awareness of the dangers of the internet and the importance of being safe and responsible online.
The reality is that our children are going to have more access to computers over time as many schools promote - and require - the use of computers in their curriculum. The internet is a powerful tool in the learning process, one that most parents and educators are not willing to withhold. It has also become an important social outlet for our children through various social networking sites, chat rooms and now video chatting sites such as Skype and Chatroulette.
With these benefits come the dangers, however. The internet has become a playground for identity thieves, scam artists, hackers, bullies and sexual predators. The best way to protect your children is to initiate a conversation about internet safety and to clearly communicate your family’s values and expectations. It is never too soon to have an open and honest conversation even with your youngest children. If they are using a computer, it is time to have a discussion. Become their authority on the topic of internet safety.
Make sure your kids understand that the World Wide Web is vast but not anonymous, and that they are accountable for what they do out there. You should also impress upon them in a matter-of-fact way that there are people out in cyber space who have bad intentions toward them and they must vigilantly avoid these encounters. You should discuss inappropriate content they might come across and what to do with it.
Young children should always be closely supervised while they use the computer. You may want to restrict their usage only to sites of which you approve. They should understand it is against the rules to share personal information with anyone they encounter online, including their real name, address, phone number or passwords. You should help them create online nicknames which do not give away any personal information for websites that encourage Web content personalization. Use pop-up blockers to help protect against offensive pop-up windows.
During the “tween” years (8-12), you will want to keep the computer in a communal area where you can observe online activity, but still give the child a sense of independence. Consider using filtering and monitoring tools at this age and limiting computer time. They should understand that not all information they find on the internet is true. Help them to determine what sources are reputable.
Limiting your teenagers’ internet usage is going to be difficult because they have a higher level of access. Most teens are required to use the internet at some level to do their school work and many own cell phones with an internet account. In addition, they spend a lot more time on their own as the need for parental supervision decreases.
The important point to impress upon your teenager is using good judgment in accessing and disseminating information via the internet. The following will help you guide your teen safely through their online activity:
Set internet rules as a family that outline off-limits sites, how long and during what hours they can be online, what sort of information should not be shared and guidelines for online communications, including social networking.
Keep computers with internet connections in a communal area. Consider taking down the wireless network at night to discourage night time usage in the bedroom.
Consider internet-filtering tools and pop-up blockers. This is trickier with teenagers because most of them are tech-savvy enough to disable these tools and blockers if they want, so a better approach may be to have a continuing dialogue about what sites are appropriate and which are to be avoided.
Know which websites your teen visits and to whom they talk, even if you have to ask them to let you see their computer history.
Let them know it is not permitted to meet an online friend in person.
They should know to engage in Peer-2-Peer file sharing of music, games or software very carefully. If done improperly, your teen could be violating copyright laws or inadvertently exposing your computer to spyware, malware (software that monitors or controls your computer use, installs viruses, or can be used to send unwanted pop-up ads, redirect your computer to websites, or record your keystrokes)or pornography.
Make sure your teens understand that they must behave ethically and responsibly online and should not spread gossip or engage in cyber-bullying. If they become a victim of cyber-bullying, encourage them not to respond and to save the evidence in case you need to get school officials or local law enforcement involved. A good resource to help teens understand and combat cyber-bullying is www.cyberbully411.org.
Talk to your teen about online sex talk, “sexting” and posting inappropriate photos and information about themselves or other people. They need to understand that once they post something, they cannot take it back, even if they remove the information from a site. What they post could damage their reputation, the reputation of others as well as potentially compromise their candidacy for college entrance or a job opportunity, since many employers and colleges now check applicants’ Facebook and MySpace pages for information.
Monitor your children’s social networking sites regularly. This is not spying; it is simply another avenue for you as a parent to keep your children safe. You may consider requiring them to “friend” you on their social networking sites.
Your teen should always check with you before executing an online financial transaction of any kind.
Online gambling is illegal for teens, and they should hear the risks and potential consequences from you.
InstantAmber wants your child to have a safe internet experience. By reviewing these safety issues with even your youngest child, you could be protecting your children from the unintended consequences of internet usage.
Sources
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/parents/childsafety/age.aspx
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:sr205ats.txt.pdf
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.RES.205:
http://www.onguardonline.gov/pdf/tec04.pdf
http://www.ncjrs.gov/internetsafety/
