(NC) — Just like a curfew for when children leave the house, parents should also set clear ground rules for online activities. Remember, the Internet is a destination and not just a communication tool.
According to a survey by the Media Awareness Network, 38 per cent of young people say that their parents know nothing or very little about their online activities. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to keep curious children out of harms way while enjoying the Internet.
- Encourage your kids to share their Internet experiences with you.
- Teach your kids to trust their instincts. If they feel nervous about anything they see or hear online, they should tell you about it.
- If your kids visit chat rooms, use Instant Messaging (IM) programs, online video games or other activities on the Internet that require logging in by name to identify themselves, help them choose a login name and make sure it doesn’t reveal any personal information about them.
- Insist that your kids never give out your family’s address, phone number or any personal information, including where they go to school.
- Teach your kids that the difference between right and wrong is the same on the Internet as it is in real life.
- Teach your kids how to respect others online. Make it clear that rules for good behaviour don’t change just because they’re on a computer.
- Insist that your kids respect the property of others online. Explain that making illegal copies of other people’s work — music, video games or other programs — is a form of theft, plain and simple.
- Tell your kids to never meet online “friends” in person. Those “friends” may not be who they say claim to be.
- Teach your kids that not everything they read or see online is true. Encourage them to ask you if they’re not sure about something they see or hear.
- Control your children’s online activity using advanced Internet software. Parental controls can help you filter out harmful content, monitor the sites your child visits and find out what they do there.
For more information visit http://safety.sympatico.msn.ca/
- News Canada
Those are some great tips for keeping kids safe on the net. It’s not easy sometimes, I have 3. These are definitly things every parent should go over with their children.
Violent video games had been a big concern of mine, but now i’m controlling where they get the games. I got them Gamefly account, have you heard of this? It’s like Netflix but for video games. Well the best part for me is the parental controls. It allows me to set what kind of games they can and cannot rent. Apparently the best part for them is the “awesome game selection.” Anyway thanks for the article!
just came across a new site called www.yokidsyo.com that seems to be targeted at pre-teen kids. It appears there are parental controls available (i.e. buddy list must be approved by parents) and neat stuff for both kids and parents. I’m interested to see how it does…
Hi,
I checked out this site too and really like it. I feel comfortable letting my kids have an e-mail address here. My two kids really enjoy it too!
I don\’t normally leave comments! But what you said here makes one think! Would you mind if I placed a link back from my blog?