Everyone’s heard the news headlines about “Pedophiles Striking over the Internet!” and “Pornography at Every Click!”

Every time your child surfs the Web are you worried about these predators? By following some basic parenting tips and family ideas, surfing on the web can include family home activities that help you and your children learn, have fun and explore a world that’s growing smaller and smaller.

Good parenting demands that you reduce the risks for everything that your child does. Do you let your child get on a bike for the first time without training wheels? Do you still teach her how to ride? Letting a child on the Internet is the same as riding that bike. Stay in touch with what your child is doing.

One way is spending time doing fun family activities with your child while she surfs, enters chat rooms or sends e-mail. Spout ignorance when it comes to using these things, and your child will be eager to “teach” you all about the Web.

If you have concerns about your children’s online activities, talk to them. Don’t let them brush you off. You get to question anything they do since you’re the parent. Seek out advice from other parents you know who have computer literate children.

By keeping open communications with your children about online activities, you are opening other lines of communication about the other things happening in their lives.

The following are some parenting tips that can greatly minimize any potential risks of your children being online. Convene a family meeting and make “house rules” for computer usage:

  • Don’t log in without an adult present. Don’t let your child get on the computer when you’re not in the room. Be present when your child logs on and monitor his progress during his computer time. The computer should be in a room that has adult supervision.
  • Never give out identifying information. This includes name, address, city, state, school name, sports team name, county name, financial information, age, telephone number or any other information that could let someone trace where your children live. This also includes pictures of you, your family, and even pets.
  • Remember that people online may not be who they seem. Any offer that’s “too good to be true” usually is. If a person online says he’s 10 years old – he might not be. If someone offers to come meet your child or wants her to come and meet her somewhere, be very worried.
  • If it makes your child feel uncomfortable, she needs to come to you. If an e-mail, chat room, bulletin board message or website makes your child uncomfortable, have him come to you as soon as it happens. This way, you are in control of what he is viewing. You are also responding to a “scary” situation by providing a safe environment for your child.
  • Do not download. Do not allow your children to download any pictures, software programs, fill out surveys, or sign in guestbooks without your permission. Some of these might contain viruses that could harm your computer. Some people buy email addresses from survey companies for the purpose of sending ads to you without permission.
  • Leave adult places immediately. Make sure that your children understand what is appropriate for them and what is not. If your child stumbles upon an adult web site, make sure that he comes to see you immediately. Then you will be able to discard that site history and clean your computer of all adult materials. (If you are uncertain of how to do this, consult some computer-savvy adults who know.)
  • Don’t give out the password. Remind your children that passwords are private for a reason. Many children will give out their passwords to their best friends and think nothing of it. Passwords mean privacy and protection. Stress the importance of passwords remaining a secret.

House Rules Contract

Have each child sign an Internet contract. Go over the contract with your child and make sure that she understands exactly what you mean on each item. Internet contracts can be found at:

  1. Parent/Child Contract from Ocean County
  2. Yahooligans Online Safety
  3. My Rules for Online Safety

Don’t hesitate to call the authorities if you feel your child is in danger. If you think that a person in a chat room or an email sent to your child is dangerous, contact the authorities immediately. Nothing is ever too careful when it comes to your child.

Here are some places to call or visit with this information:

  • Internet Safety and Children. This is the Michigan Attorney General's one stop cyber-guide to making the Information Super Highway a safer, more enjoyable road to discovery. Included on the site are guides to using the Internet, finding family-friendly sites to surf, and tools to make surfing the net safer for kids. Click on the site and then click on the tab, "Protecting your children."

The benefits of using the Internet far outweigh the dangers. Reference information such as news, weather and encyclopedia help both you and your child find information at the touch of a finger.

Educational and entertainment tools are readily available on virtually any topic. The availability of free public domain software titles and shareware enhance even plain ordinary computing.

Many experiences on the Internet can be happy, healthy and productive. Make sure that your children know the pros and cons of the Internet. No matter how Web-literate your child is, good parenting still means guidance. Helping your child learn to make good choices is a skill that will last a lifetime.

 


Sherry Bowen is a school media specialist and mother of two in Buford, Georgia.