Keeping Your Kids Safe While They Are Online
The INTERNET can be a dangerous place for your kids, if you
don't know the risks that can occur while being online. It is
our jobs as parents, to know what our kids are doing when they
are online. It is up to us to keep them safe in everything that
they do.
Thousands of children use the INTERNET everyday without any
problems at all, but we've all heard about the danger they could
find themselves in. I am a mother ,and I always worry when my
kids are online, that is why I pay close attention to what they
do when online. Here are some tips so you can be sure that your
kids are safe when they are online.
1. The most Important thing you can do to keep your children
safe when they are on the INTERNET is to be right there with
them while they are online. You should not let them surf the
INTERNET in their bedrooms or in another room away from you. If
this is not a possibilty, then make sure you are often in and
out of the room to keep an eye on what is going on. Be sure you
know what your kids are doing online at all times.
2. Before allowing your children on the INTERNET ,let them know
what is and what is not allowed and stick with these rules. For
example, you could tell them no e-mailing, no chat rooms, or
whatever guidelines you decide to set for them. Also, let them
know that should they decide to break any of your rules, then
they will not be allowed online anymore, until they agree to
follow the rules you set for them.
3. Get involved in what your kids are doing online. Ask them to
show you some of their favorite sites. Have them show you what
they like to do when they are online. This will help you
determine if there are any problems or concerns that need to be
addressed with them. Another way to keep a check on which
websites they have visited, click on HISTORY in your browser
window.
4. Down load some filtering software. You can find software
available that can stop your child giving out personal
information such as their name, address, and telephone number.
Here are a couple of filtering software you can check out:
We - Blocker...........Furnishes users with free software that
allows parents to monitor their children's Internet access and
filter out inappropriate sites.
Internet Filtering Software..............This Internet filtering
software is free. There is no obligation, and it will work with
any ISP
Stress to your kids why it is important to keep such information
private.
5. All kids, it does not matter how old they are, can be
vulnerable when they are online. For example, teenage girls, are
at risk from men who lure them into meeting them face to face
after chatting online with them for awhile. Let your children
know never, ever to arrange a meeting with someone they met
online, no matter how safe it may seem to them.
6. Tell them firmly, never to pay money or agree to pay money
for anything without your permission, and never to use your
credit card details without your knowledge or permission. You
just never know who could somehow get a hold of your credit card
details.
7. Also, be sure to warn your kids about online chat rooms for
kids. Sometimes, Adults will pretend to be kids in these chat
rooms trying to lure kids into meeting them. Rather than chat
rooms, I have set up AOL's INSTANT MESSENGER Program for my
kids. This gives them more control over who they allow to be one
of their "buddies' and they're not nearly as visible, as they
would be in actual chat rooms. AOL INSTANT MESSENGER
The INTERNET can provide hours of fun for children of all ages.
We, as parents should certainly monitor what our kids are doing
on the NET, put safety features in place, depending on how they
will be accessing the NET. AOL allows you to set restrictions on
certain sites [MSN as well], so your children can surf and be
safe at the same time.
To find out about AOL, CLICK HERE http://aol.com
To find out about MSN, click here http://www.msn.com
For more information and a listing of guide lines for keeping
your kids safe ONLINE, please visit these two sites.
Safe kids. com http://www.safekids.com/
Child Safety on the Information Highway
http://www.safekids.com/child_safety.htm
Here are some recommended sites for you to check out for your
kids:
Computer Games for Kids
http://kids.msn.com/kidz/dept.aspx?id=/kidz/content/games/
Play new games every week with characters from DISNEY
Nickelodeon - Official Site
http://www.nick.com/
Commercial, all-kids cable station "NICKELODEON" offers a
schedule and outtakes for its popular lineup of cartoons,
including" Rugrats" and "Garfield"
PBS Kids
http://www.pbskids.org/
Official home of "SESAME STREET" ,TELE TUBBIES, and PBS's other
kids shows. Play games, read jokes, and paint some of their
characters
Fun Brain
http://www.funbrain.com/
Interactive, Educational games (math and grammar) for children
of all ages. Games include Math, Baseball, Change Maker, and
Wacky tales.
Kids Games. org
http://www.kidsgames.org./
Check out this collection of online games for kids of all ages.
KidsCom
http://www.kidscom.com/
Offers Adult monitored kids chat, games like tangram, and
hangman, message boards, video game cheats, contests, and prizes
in a kid safe environment.