Online Safety for Kids
Most kids know to always look both ways before crossing the street and never to talk to strangers--no matter how nice they seem. Somehow, though, online safety rules seem a lot less clear. Lots of kids and teens add total strangers as "friends" on social networking sites, log into chat rooms alone and click links without a second thought. However, the online world holds just as many dangers as the "real" one, so families need to learn about online safety for kids.
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Function
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With knowledge of online safety for kids, you can prevent an online predator from manipulating your child into dangerous situations. You can also learn how to identify fraudulent emails and websites. This empowers you to teach your children the ins and outs of sharing personal information and avoiding malicious viruses or spyware. Online safety rules also help your children make better decisions about photos, videos and status updates on social media, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation website.
Types
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Different online safety rules address different types of dangers for children. For example, sexual predators troll chat rooms, social media and online games for victims. You can protect your kids by keeping the family computer in the living room or another shared space. This helps you watch their online adventures, according to the "Family Online Safety Guide." You might also try setting social network accounts to private and restricting your children from posting their address or phone number. You can check on their activities by monitoring their accounts, according to the FBI website.
To prevent phishing emails from fooling your kids into clicking on links to enter personal information, educate them about how to evaluate emails and why they should never click links contained in messages. Additionally, anti-virus software and firewalls will protect your family computer from spyware or viruses. You can use parental controls to prevent children from accessing untrustworthy sites, according to Norton's "Family Online Safety Guide."
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Significance
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Children and teens have access to the Internet at home and school, and 79 percent report that they share information online without taking appropriate care, according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General website. This seems especially troubling given that 64 percent of teens report they "do things online they wouldn't want their parents to know about," according to the Pennsylvania Attorney General website. This might include posting pictures, since 64 percent of teens post photos or videos of themselves online, and 58 percent share information about where they live, according to the Web Wise Kids website.
Warning Signs
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If your child spends long periods of time online or quickly clicks away from the screen when you enter the room, it could indicate trouble. Additionally, unknown phone numbers in your child's cell phone records could spell danger, according to the FBI website. If your child starts using a different email account for another service provider, this might indicate that a predator has supplied her with a secret account, according to the FBI website.
Considerations
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Monitoring your children's online habits at home cannot guarantee their safety. They have access to the Internet at school, the library and friends' houses as well. This underscores the importance of open communication, according to the FBI website. Additionally, once predators make contact online, they may also try using snail mail, so you should monitor letters and packages, according to the FBI website.
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- Photo Credit Boy relaxing on sofa in livingroom using laptop for internet image by kuhar from Fotolia.com
