Internet Safety
Cybersafety Tips for Parents and
Children
NPR.org,
April 11, 2006 · These are tips compiled from the
National Cyber Security Alliance's StaySafeOnline, GetNetWise,
NetSmartz Workshop, Microsoft, National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children's CyberTipline and SafeTeens.
For Parents
 | Keep your computer in a
central and accessible location in your home and be
aware of other computers your children may be using.
|
| Use the Internet with your
children. Let them show you what they can do online,
visit their favorite sites and maintain a dialogue
with them about what applications they are using.
|
| Teach your children never
to give out personal information (name, address,
phone number, school, hometown) to people they meet
online in chat rooms or on bulletin boards.
|
| Know who your children's
online friends are and oversee their chat areas.
|
| If your children use chat
or e-mail, advise them not to meet in person with
anyone they first "met" online. Remind them that not
everything they read or see on the Internet is true.
If you feel it is OK for them to meet their online
friends, insist they bring you or trusted friends
along and meet in a public place. |
| Talk to children about not
responding to offensive or dangerous e-mail, chat or
other communications. Do not delete the offensive or
dangerous e-mail; turn off the monitor, and contact
local law enforcement. |
| Talk to children about
what to do if they see something that makes them
feel scared, uncomfortable or confused. Show them
how to turn off the monitor and emphasize that it's
not their fault if they see something upsetting.
Remind children to tell a trusted adult if they see
something that bothers them. |
| If you suspect online
"stalking" or sexual exploitation of a child, report
it to your local law-enforcement agency. The
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
has a system (CyberTipline.com) for identifying
online predators and child pornographers.
|
| Internet accounts should
be in the parent's name with parents having the
primary screen name, controlling passwords, and
using blocking and/or filtering devices.
|
| Implement parental-control
tools that are provided by some Internet service
providers and available for purchase as separate
software packages. Remember: No program is a
substitute for parental supervision. |
| You may be able to set
some parental controls within your browser. Internet
Explorer allows you to restrict or allow certain Web
sites to be viewed on your computer, and you can
protect these settings with a password. To find
those options, click "Tools" on your menu bar,
select "Internet Options," choose the "Content" tab,
and click the "Enable" button under "Content
Advisor." |
For Children
| Don't give out information
about yourself like your last name, phone number,
address or school — without asking your parents
first. |
| Never e-mail a picture of
yourself to strangers. |
| Be suspicious of those who
want to know too much. There's no rule that says you
have to tell them where you live or anything else
personal. Trust your instincts. If someone makes you
feel uncomfortable, leave. |
| Avoid chat rooms or
discussion areas that look sketchy or provocative,
and don't let people online trick you into thinking
of them as real-life friends if you've never met
them in person. |
| If somebody says something
to you that makes you uncomfortable, or if somebody
sends you something or you see something that makes
you uncomfortable, don't look around or explore: Get
your parents instead — they know what to do.
|
| Making plans to meet your
Internet buddies in real life is usually a bad idea.
If you decide to do it anyway, have your parents
help make the plans and go with you. |
| Don't open up e-mails,
files or Web pages that you get from people you
don't know or trust. The same goes for links or URLs
that look suspicious — don't click on them.
|
| Don't give out your
password, except to responsible adults in your
family. |
| Be honest about your age.
Membership rules are there to protect people. If you
are too young to sign up, do not attempt to lie
about your age. Talk with your parents about
alternative sites that may be appropriate for you.
|
************************************************
Are you aware of what
your children are doing on the Internet?
A recent I-Safe
America Survey indicated that:
·
54% of
parents feel limited in their ability to monitor their children online.
·
37% of
students said their parents would disapprove if they knew what they did, where
they went, or with whom they chatted on the Internet.
The following information was shared
by the Department of Defense Schools with their families, teachers and students:
“Many
students are taking part in free online networking services such as MySpace.com,
Facebook.com, and Friendster.com. Youth can use these Web sites for online
communication
through
interactive networks of photos, user profiles and internal messaging systems.
On many of
these sites, students can create a customized web page devoted to their personal
interests
including photos and private information. MySpace, for example, is an
open-forum
network
that any Internet user can access. Unfortunately, these electronic communities
can
expose
students to sexual predators, drug solicitations, or hate groups.
Although it
is a violation of MySpace agreements, some groups that are dedicated to the
slandering
of racial minorities have formed.”
It has come to our attention that
students engaging in these “online communities” may also have access to contents
that both soft and hard pornography through pictures displayed by other members
using these sites.
The Catholic Schools Office is taking
measures to ensure that students do not have access to such sites while using
computers at school. We felt that this information should be shared with
parents in order to further protect the children in our school community.
In addition to this introductory
piece, the CSO will be offering training for parents, teachers and students
later this spring in safe use of the internet. Information on such training
will be forthcoming on or about April 1.
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