Safety & Ethics in Cyberspace Tips for Parents The Internet is
a great place for your children to have fun and keep
in touch with family and friends. Because of the huge
amount of information available online, the potential
for educational benefit to your family from legitimate
online sources is nearly unlimited. On the other hand, just as you protect your children
from dangers in the "real" world, you must
be aware of the possible dangers that tempt naive and
trusting children, especially teenagers, into dangerous
situations. Becoming educated about technology and
striving to open and maintain lines of communication
with your children is just as critical as teaching
young children to look before they cross the street
and older ones to become responsible drivers. Your
job to educate and protect your children supercedes
any feelings they may have regarding their rights to
privacy! What are the possible
dangers?
- Accessing inappropriate web sites.
A few examples: pornography; extremist activities;
hate groups; instructions for committing violent
acts; drug manufacturing.
- Contact with sexual predators:
most common via social networking, e-mail or instant
messaging. These predators take advantage of a child's
insecurities to befriend them.
- Bullying, harassment, and character defamation in
the public arena of the Internet, by e-mail and social
networking, can be cruel, vicious, degrading and
very damaging to children and teens.
- Scams, fraud and identity theft:
Internet users may unwittingly fall victim to criminal
scams that begin by asking for passwords, credit
card information, social security numbers and other
personal information in a way that appears to be
legitimate.
- Sales: While there are many ethical
e-commerce sites and sellers doing business on the
Internet, there are numerous fraudulent operators
misrepresenting merchandise or using an e-commerce
site to collect credit card information. As with
television, the Internet is being use for aggressive
marketing campaigns aimed at young consumers. Buyers
must be very careful purchasing from Internet auction
sites. If it's too good to be true, it's probably
a scam.
- Computer issues: Viruses, worms,
spyware, adware and some peer to peer software may
cause your computer or software to malfunction or
compromise your security and privacy. Install and
use an antivirus program and a firewall. You should
also install and regularly run software that searches
your computer for spyware and adware. Download and
install only reputable software programs.
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to Top How can I help my child
avoid risky situations and make sensible decisions?
- Without overreacting, establish clear and reasonable
rules for computer use in your home and outside your
home. Limit the time and the hours of the day your
child can participate in online activities. Make
sure you create, explain and implement consequences
for breaking the rules.
- Place your computer in an open area of your home
where you can easily supervise your child's computer
activities.
- Consider choosing an online service that offers
parental controls. Check with your current provider
to find out what services they offer. Purchase monitoring
and filtering software that allows you some control
over computer use.
- Internet accounts and profiles should be in your
name and you should control passwords and screen
names. Help your child choose a screen name that
is nondescript. Do not allow children to have personal
profiles because these can often be easily accessed
by predators.
- Know who your children exchange e-mail with. If
they have a "buddy list", check it often
for changes.
- Know your child's friends and talk to their parents
about computer use in their homes. Be aware of other
computers outside of your home that your child may
be using.
- Keep the lines of communication open with your
child. Be supportive of the educational and fun uses
of technology and spend time exploring the Internet
with your child. Work to establish an atmosphere
of trust within your family, encouraging your children
to tell you about their online activities.
Help your children understand...
- what personal information is and why it should
not be given.
- what is being posted on a web site or discussed
online can affect a person's privacy and reputation
and often cannot be deleted or removed.
- the importance of not responding to unsolicited,
offensive or unpleasant e-mail or chat.
- while they may feel "alone" online,
they are not. People can find out who they are
and where they are by taking advantage of the
natural tendencies of children and teens to be
trusting and open.
- what they read or see online is not all factual
or reliable. Encourage a cautious approach to
online "information".
- Recognize that chat rooms and social networking
can be dangerous. Do not allow your child to visit
chat rooms or, at the very least, restrict them to
age and subject appropriate chat rooms only and monitor
their activity. Chat services that provide monitors
are generally safer than unmonitored chat rooms,
but parental supervision is essential in any case.
- Tell your children...
- to tell you immediately if they are threatened,
scared or made uncomfortable by someone or something
online. (Be sure you respond in a helpful and
calm manner.)
- never give out their own or their friends'
names, addresses, phone numbers, parents' names,
school names, or other personal information.
- never agree to personally meet someone they
met online.
- never send photographs online without your
permission.
- never fill out forms or questionnaires online
without your permission.
- not to enter areas that charge for services
without your permission.
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What warning signs should
I watch for?
- Your child spends a great deal of time on the Internet
or is online late at night.
- Your child changes the computer screen when you
enter the room.
- Your child becomes uneasy or defensive when you
are close to their online activity or discussing
online behavior. (If you see your child type POS
this is a red flag. It means "parent over shoulder".)
- There are unusual charges on credit card statements
or phone bills. Be especially alert to charges with
seemingly benign identification. Pornographers and
con artists are careful not to attract attention
by using descriptive names.
- Your child has a sudden influx of cash or gifts.
- You notice changes in your child's behavior or
habits (secretiveness, inappropriate knowledge, changes
in interests, sleeping problems, etc.)
What should I do if I know
or think my child is being exposed to potentially
risky situations?
- Communicate with your child and be involved. Be
non-judgmental as you encourage your child to answer
your questions and discuss your concerns.
- If your child is involved in online bullying or
harassment, either as a perpetrator, victim or bystander,
engage in a discussion of ethics, kindness and respect.
Talk about the legal realities of criminal arrest
or civil litigation in extreme cases of cyberbullying.
Your child's role in the activity will determine
how you respond. Visit our Links & Resources page
for links to excellent, detailed articles.
- If threatening or pornographic material is received
by your child, save it. If you can identify the company,
report the incident to the sender's Internet service
provider. Contact your local law enforcement agency.
- Report any content or activity that you suspect
may be illegal to local
law enforcement agencies.
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