| Internet Safety tips for Parents |
Internet safetytips for parents
Safety TipMake sure your children always ask you before they download anything from the web, especially if it’s from a website they’ve never used before. ‘Free’ things like ‘smiley faces’ or screensavers may include hard-to-detect viruses.Keeping your kids safe Huge growth areas on the internet in the past couple of years are ‘networking sites’ such as MySpace, Bebo, Teenspot and the rapidly expanding Facebook. These sites make keeping in touch with friends very easy – although ‘friends’ can include friends of friends or people your child has met at an event, like a summer camp.
How networking sites workEssentially all networking sites operate along the same lines: you register with your name, address, e-mail and phone number and then fill in a personal profile which will cover things like your favourite music, bands, films and other interests. All this appears on your own web page. Some sites allow you to design your page in your own style. You can usually also upload photos, ‘post’ links to other websites and send messages to your friends. Most sites give you the option to keep your profile information secret except for your approved friends, although you have to choose to do this. The popularity of networking sites means your children are probably going to want to establish their own profile on at least one of them. If you’re concerned about this, then set a few ground rules:
Inappropriate contactOccasionally in the media, you read stories about how networking sites, ‘instant messaging’, and chat rooms may put children at risk. The vast majority of the time this isn’t the case, but there have been a few high profile cases where children and young teenagers have ‘met’ people online, and then arranged to meet in the real world, with serious consequences. As a parent there are several things you can do to prevent situations like this:
Simple safety steps for chat rooms
Careful - people online may not be who they say they are. Adapted from www.care.org.uk/anon |
The internet is a source of concern for many parents. Media scare stories abound. And it doesn’t help that our kids often know more about the internet than we do!
As with anything, the internet has both positive and negative aspects. While there are several things every parent needs to consider about their kids growing up in a virtual world, it’s also good to recognise the internet as an unparalleled source of information, education, and relaxation. Care for the Family’s Support Net will hopefully give you some practical advice, and help you find out more about life in the virtual world.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|