Feature #3 - Child Protection On the Internet

The Internet is a wondrous and limitless resource for children, however, keeping your children safe as they use the Internet is a daunting task. You don't want to hover over them and make them angry but you can't leave them completely alone and unprotected, either. You want your children to be able to access fun stuff and educational information on the Internet, but you are right to  worry about inappropriate material and unsavory characters.

It definitely helps if you are involved in your children’s activities on the Internet. Without crowding them, pull up a chair once in awhile and sit with your child and show some interest in what they are doing online. You need to create an environment in which your child is comfortable talking to you. Take some time to think about what you’ll say and do if they are exposed to inappropriate material. Educate yourself about the Internet; in this day and age, children are sometimes more knowledgeable about certain technologies than their parents. Establish agreed-upon rules with your child regarding Internet use and make sure they follow the rules.

It’s imperative that children never give out any personal information over the Internet, including their name, address, telephone number, school name, school location, and after-school activities. They should never send their picture to anyone, either, unless they know this person very well. They should report to you or another trusted adult anything they see or read on the Internet that causes them to feel uncomfortable.

Helpful Websites

Many Web sites exist to teach kids safe and responsible Internet use. At GetNetWise, you can choose from an Online Safety Guide, Tools For Families, Web Sites For Kids, and Reporting Trouble. Some other sites worth checking out are the Net-Smartz Workshop, LiveWires Design, and SafeKids.com.

Kid-Friendly Search Engines

There are a number of kid-friendly search engines that are more likely to spark your child’s imagination and keep them away from less desirable sites. Try Yahoo’s Yahooligans, Lycos ZONE , Ask Jeeves for Kids, or Kids Click!.

Online Chat

Online chat and e-mail is a scary aspect of the Internet and children. While web sites can present unwanted information to children, chat and e-mail provides for real people to interact. We’ve all heard the horror stories, and attention must be paid to what venues and with whom your kids interact. If your kids are chatting with known friends or relatives the interaction should be celebrated. If your kids are in public chat rooms talking to people you don’t know, your guard should go up. Educate your kids on what you feel is appropriate. The Internet has introduced a whole new way for people to communicate – make sure it’s used safely.

Filtering Software

You may want to install a filtering program. It’ll help you protect your children by blocking incoming information that is inappropriate, access to certain Internet services, and certain types of outgoing information.

Cyber Patrol lets you set up different filtering levels for each age group, restrict time spent on the Internet, filter search results and chats, and prevent disclosure of personal information. You can download a free trial version from Cyber Patrol. Net Nanny also lets you set up filtering levels for restricting and monitoring your child’s Internet activity. You can set Net Nanny to prevent disclosure of personal information and block chats, newsgroups, and search engines. You may also want to take a look at Cyber Sitter.

You can also enlist your Internet browser to help filter Web sites that have been rated, as well. For example, Internet Explorer 6.0 has its Content Advisor filter, which can help shield your kids from Web sites containing violent or sexual content. Click here for instructions on using the Content Advisor in Internet Explorer.

Note:  None of these filtering technologies are perfect; they may fail to block some inappropriate sites, and may accidentally block controversial or sometimes even harmless sites.

Key Things to Remember

We all worry about the safety of our children. Here’s a list of the top five things you can do to keep your children safe as they surf the Internet:

•Be an involved parent and provide supervision. Take an interest and find out what your children like to do online.

•Take some time to educate yourself about the Internet. Be prepared with what you’ll say and do if your child runs into an uncomfortable situation.

•Teach your children how to be safe on the Internet. Create an Internet contract that everyone must sign. Keep it close to the computer for easy reference.

•If possible, take the computer out of the children’s room and place it in a high traffic area where they’re less likely to engage in risky behavior.

•Use filtering software, such as Cyber Patrol or Net Nanny, and set up your browser to help filter inappropriate content.

REMEMBER: There’s no substitute for active and involved parenting. The Internet is a tricky place for children. Stay aware of what they are seeing and who they are interacting with!!!