Phone and Internet Safety for Kids
Keeping your kids safe is the number one priority in your life as a parent, a role that does not end with the house phone, the cell phone and the Internet. Even though both telephones and the Internet can help enhance the lives of your children, they can also expose your kids to new threats as well. Learning how to neutralize these dangers can help parents to ensure the safety of their kids.
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Home Telephone Safety Tips
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If you allow your kid to answer the home telephone, make sure that your children know who is on the other line. The FBI recommends parents utilize a Caller ID service (from the phone company) which will help you as well as your child identify who is calling your house.
According to "A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety" by the FBI, some child predators will use an anonymous number (which will not show up on a Caller ID) or even toll-free 800 numbers in an attempt to establish or maintain contact your child. In order to protect your kids, parents should also consider adding a call blocker, which can be used to reject suspicious phone numbers from contacting your house.
Safety Tips for Basic Cell Phones
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If you allow your kids to carry a basic cell phone (also known as a feature phone), you should be aware of who your kids talk to, as well as text message (also known as SMS).
The "National Center for Missing and Exploited Children" (or NCMEC) advises that parents should monitor their cell phone bill to see who their child is either talking to or text messaging. The center also suggests that you teach your kids to contact someone in authority (like a police officer) if they are being threatened or if they are receive lewd images or text (also known as "sexting") from another person.
You should also teach your kids to avoid sending out personal information (like images, videos or text) of themselves to strangers, who can use that information to either endanger or embarrass your child.
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Safety Tips for Smart Phones
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Although smart phones offer more features than a basic cell phone such as GPS navigation software, games, and social networking, you should be aware that some of these programs can potentially threaten your child.
After consulting with the smart phone manual, you should disable any software that will automatically broadcast the location of your kid via GPS on a public Internet map, which according to "TIME" can be easily be posted upon a website highlighting your child's location to strangers around the world.
You should also teach your kids to avoid communicating with strangers through social networks, instant messaging programs or games on the smart phone, as well as instruct your children to inform you or a trusted adult if they are receiving inappropriate messages (or images) through the various smart phone programs.
Some smart phones have parental filters that you can use to prevent your kids from downloading software that could threaten your children.
Internet Safety Tips For The Home
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According to "On Guard Online" (a government resource for parents), you should place a computer with Internet where the child will have access to yourself or another trusted adult.
You should also maintain access to your kids' online accounts on various social networks, blogs, email and chat programs, as well as monitor who your kids contact and communicate with online. Many social networks, blogs and chat programs have privacy settings you can configure to help you restrict who can see and talk to your child.
Since your children could download malicious software online (whether it is from child predators, strangers or friends), you should contact a computer expert for assistance on how to create limited permission rights for your kids. You should also consider installing Internet filtering software as well as anti-virus software to help block and remove objectionable material that your children may stumble across online.
Internet Safety Tips For Outside The Home
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If you allow your child to access the Internet from a public computer (whether in a public library, at school or at a friends house), you should discover what security measures are in place to help keep your kids safe.
Your child should also be informed that sending information to strangers online is dangerous, and to avoid talking to anyone who makes them feel uncomfortable as well as unsafe.
According to psychologist Tanya Byron (who was interviewed by the BBC) children should be instructed not to give out any personal information about themselves, as well as block anyone who they feel is threatening them or sending your child inappropriate content.
You should also teach your child to contact you (or a trusted adult) immediately if they are feeling threatened and if necessary you should contact the appropriate authorities if your child is receiving lewd content.
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