Safety Series Part 2 of 4: Child Safety 2 (The Internet)
April 29, 2009 by dr. lam
To conclude our two part series on child safety and as part of our larger series on safety, let’s focus on sex offenders’ #1 avenue of approaching your children now, the Internet. As everyone knows, the Internet is one of the most amazing resources out there (as I am using its technology to spread this message to you right now), but it is also one of the most potentially lethal ones in the wrong hands. I would like to thank Tony Pompa who attended the weekend EO event and who shared with me his tricks to helping keep his children safe. He said that he switched his children’s computer access over to Macintoshes because of the unparalleled filters and controls that he could use to protect his children.
Let me publish the Texas Center for the Missing’s Internet safety tips for parents that I think are really good:
1. Establish rules for Internet use including what sites can your child visit, who can they talk to, how long are they allowed online, clearly defining when and where they can use a computer, and keep these house rules posted near the computer.
2. Keep the computer in a common room (not the child’s bedroom).
3. Discuss the importance of telling you and or a trusted adult if anything ever makes your child or teen feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused while online.
4. Communicate: prepare yourself beforehand; talk openly with your kids and teens; keep cool and be cool so that they confide in you; warn your children about the risks of myspace.com and other social networking sites.
5. Be informed: learn how to set parental controls; know how to check history files (if the history is clear, that is a red flag); use the Internet to identify predators and warn your children: www.nsopr.gov.
6. Limit your child’s use of instant messaging. Excessive IM’ing can be dangerous.
7. Consider safeguarding options: blocking/filtering/rating. Visit www.thetexascenter.org/internetsafety.asp. Create an email/user name that indicates you are law enforcement and have that “persona” be accepted as a friend on your child’s MySpace or Facebook page.
8. Report suspicious persons or websites: notify law enforcement; use cybertipline at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (1-800-843-5678 or www.cybertipline.com)
9. Know with whom your children chat online.
10. Check your children’s email address for appropriateness.
11. Don’t post your child’s email address in ANY directory.
12. Always read a web site’s privacy policy: don’t unsubscribe to unwanted email; don’t sign up for free things.
13. Don’t forward email to everyone in your address book.
14. Talk to your children about what personal information is and why it should never be given out.
15. Make sure children only exchange email with people they know and let them use chat areas you supervise.
16. Make sure you are aware of any other places your child may be using the Internet such as a friend’s house, school, or the library.
17. Show your children how to turn off the monitor (but not the computer) when something or someone makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused and REPORT!
Another disturbing trend is something I heard of for the first time “sexting”. This refers to when an individual uses text messaging to deliver a nude photograph of himself/herself that despite whatever privacy that individual thinks he or she is using can trigger an arrest on the receiver’s end if the sender is underage. For more in-depth information on Internet Safety Programs, check out presentations based on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s NetSmartz Program at www.netsmartz.com.
Comments
2 Responses to “Safety Series Part 2 of 4: Child Safety 2 (The Internet)”
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
What’s with nowadays?! Okay, this is really good information. I am totally going to make sure that I am aware of these things with my future kids.
Thanks, Dr. Lam, for the great advice, organized format, and information! I am sure that this will help inform parents out there of the dangers of the internet with their kids and the precautions that they can make to keep their children safe!
Awesome!
tomorrow we learn about personal and home safety. yeah! thanks heather again for the comments and support. stay safe everyone!