Keeping Your Kids & Teens Safe in Cyberspace
Basic Rules of Online Safety for Teens
- Keep your identity private (screen names / profile information)
- Never get together with someone you “meet” online
- Never respond to e-mail, chat comments, or newsgroup messages that are hostile, belligerent, inappropriate, or in any way make you feel uncomfortable
- Talk with your parents about their expectations and ground rules for going online; tell them if someone is bothering you
DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE A PARENT!
- You Bought The Computer
- You Pay The Internet Service Provider
- You Control The Master Screen Name
- You Control The Passwords
Guidelines / Resources for Parents
- Be open with your teens and encourage them to come to you if they encounter a problem online
- Clear, simple, and easy to read rules should be posted on or near the computer monitor
- Placing the computer in a common area, instead of the child / teens room, allows easier supervision by parents and might make it less tempting to access off-limit areas of the Internet
- Consider using parental controls, filtering or monitoring software for your computer
- Be aware of any other computers your child may be using
- Internet accounts should be in the parent’s name with the parents having the primary screen name, controlling passwords, and using blocking and / or filtering devices
- Let your children show you what they can do online, and visit their favorite sites or chatrooms
- Report suspected “stalking” or sexual exploitation of a child to your local law enforcement or the Cyber Tipline ( HYPERLINK "http://www.cybertipline.com/" \t "_parent" www.cybertipline.com)
My Rules for Online Safety
- I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents’ work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parents’ permission. I will not give out my Internet password(s) to anyone – even my best friends – other than my parents.
- I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable.
- I will never agree to get together with someone I “meet” online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring my mother or father along.
- I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents.
- I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell a trusted adult right away so that they can contact the online service.
- I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.
- I will practice good “netiquette” and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law.
ResourcesNational Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) HYPERLINK "http://www.missingkids.com/" \t "_parent" www.missingkids.comFree safety pamphletsFree & legal to download, print and distributeOther great safety topics for kids & teens Other Web Sites
- Netparents.org
- Smartparents.org
- Getnetwise.org
- Familypc.com
- Safesurfin.com
- Cyberangels.org
- Netsmartz.com
- Childrenspartnership.org
- pcmag.com
- Safekids.com
- Safetyed.org
- icra.org