Internet Safety for Parents and Kids
With all of the social websites like: MySpace,
Facebook, Zanga etc., it is very important for parents to monitor their
children. An excellent
website to help you with this responsibility is www.wiredsafety.org.
This website gives
Internet Safety tips and information you need to know to help keep your
children, teen and tween safe when using the Internet.
Quick Tips for
Parent:
- Protect
you children; don’t allow them to set up a social network in MySpace
and other websites until they are able to handle this responsibility.
- Ask
to look over their MySpace profile etc. often BUT give them a
day the first time to “fix” anything that isn’t appropriate.
If they know you will be looking it over, this will help them
think before posting anything inappropriate or unsafe.
- This
is not an invasion of their privacy if strangers can see it.
That’s the difference between a social network profile and a
paper diary.
- Make
sure that their profile is set up for “private” where they choose
who can see it.
- Most
kids really do just use these social networks to communicate with
their friends.
- You
can also block these websites and set up your computer so that every
user has their own password (you need to know their password) and their own programs.
- You
are the parent! If they
don’t listen or follow your rules, unplug the computer.
*Read over the Quick Tips
for tweens and teens.
Quick Tips for tweens
and teens:
- Protect
yourself with: passwords,
no photos of yourself, friends, family etc.
- Don’t
post anything that you wouldn’t want your parents, principal, and
teacher etc. to see.
·
What you post online stays
online – forever. So think
before you Click.
- If
you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t say it online.
- Protect
your privacy and your friends and family – get their okay before
posting something about them or their pictures or videos.
- Check
what your friends are posting, even if they are being careful, they
may be putting YOU at risk.
- The
cute 14-year-old boy or girl may not really be 14!
You never know!
- Don’t
post your MySpace profile publicly – keep it private – then you
invite who gets to see it.
- Never
give out your password (except to your parents).
- If
you are old enough to create a profile – then you are old enough to
take responsibility.