Internet safety for children has become a major consideration for parents of teens and pre-teens. As the internet has evolved, so have the threats directed toward children. Although there are acts that have been enacted across the globe to protect children, it's up to each family to ensure that they know what is going on when their children are online.
With that in mind, here are 10 tips that you can implement to ensure the internet safety for children in your home. Get your children to agree to these basic rules and you will be a long way down the path to securing their safety online:
Never ever give out any of your personal information online with the express permission of an adult. Addresses, telephone numbers, work numbers are all ways in which your other details can be obtained.
If you come across websites or emails that are inappropriate or make you feel uncomfortable then let your parents know. By reporting these websites and emails to the authorities you will help to prevent the spread of this behaviour.
Never ever agree to meet someone in person that you have met online without first discussing it with parents. This is the most fundamental rule to ensure internet safety for children. It is impossible to know for sure who you care actually talking to online. If you do decide to meet then do so in a very public place and make sure that your mom or dad is with you.
It is very important that you don't send pictures of yourself to people you meet online. There is no way that you can know for certain who that person is unless you have personally met them.
There is a hug amount of bullying online. Never respond to rude or abusive emails or messages online. If the messages upset you or make you feel uncomfortable then let your parents know and they can follow up with the ISP or police. Many children have suffered at the hands of cyber-bullies. Don't be one of them.
Sit down with your children and set the rules for internet and email access. It is important to set the rules about what is appropriate to view online and how to handle situations online. Parents need to know what children are doing online. There is even software that will block unsuitable websites and provide reports of web history.
You must keep all passwords to yourself. It's amazing how a computer hacker can use a single password to access a whole host of your information as well as cause havoc with your life. Just don't do it. This is one of the best ways you can ensure internet safety for children. Also make sure that parents have the passwords to your internet accounts.
Don't download software without using adequate antivirus programs and getting permission from parents first. It is easy to compromise the data on your computer by inadvertently installing malicious software.
Make sure that children don't indulge in illegal behaviour online or hurt other people online. Internet safety for children is everyone's responsibility.
Kids are generally able to pick things up online pretty quickly. Spend time with your children online and you will learn quite a bit. Ignorance is not a defence. If you don't know what your children are doing online then you are not being a good parent.
These tips will help ensure the internet safety for children online; not just yours, but potentially someone else's child could be saved from being a victim of online crime.
This article was written by David Davies on behalf of Internet Safety for Children. Protecting your children online is important, that's why we take child Internet safety so seriously. Visit us today for more information on Internet safety for kids.
