Information for Parents

INTERNET SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS

• Monitor your child’s Internet use consistently. Keep the computer in a
public area of the house. This is not a violation of your child’s privacy;
this is a safeguarding measure and part of your responsibility as a parent.
Keep in mind that your child’s personal websites and/or blog is a public
domain, not private property.

• Decide on a reasonable amount of time that your child can spend online
each day and be prepared to enforce it.
• If your child belongs to a social networking site (MySpace, Facebook,
Tagged, Xanga, etc), look closely at what information they have posted
in their member profiles and blogs, including photos and videos.
Predators, bullies, profanity and threats often occur in these types of
sites.

• Find out what other websites your child’s social networking site is linked
to. Sometimes your child’s web pages may be safe but they may be
linked to a site which could endanger them (a pornographic site, a site in
which a friend mentions your child’s phone number, a site slandering
school administrators).

• Talk to your child about your Internet safety concerns in a positive way
and give them the opportunity to make safety resolutions that you can
both live with (example, how much time can be spent online? Are chat
rooms permitted?).

• Explain that your kids should: Never give out personal information
(name, address, phone, school name), NEVER meet anyone from online
without your permission, NEVER open emails from unknown senders
and NEVER share their photo with strangers over the Internet. Shared
photos are an easy way for a predator to find a child or modify your
child’s image for pornographic use.

• Encourage your children to bring anything strange or upsetting to
your attention and don’t overreact when they do (fear of losing Internet
privileges is why kids don’t tell parents about problems—and why they
may start surfing the web somewhere else).
• Stay in touch with your kid’s online activities. Know who their online
friends are (and who is on their buddy list), just as you would their other
friends.
• Learn how filtering and monitoring software can assist you in protecting
your children (check with your Internet service provider to find out
if filtering or monitoring is available for free with your provider).
However, don’t rely completely on software to protect your children.
Education and parental involvement are the primary methods of
prevention.
• Internet accounts should always be in the parent’s name. The parent
should maintain the primary email account and be in charge of all
passwords and parental controls. Kids should never share their passwords
with anyone other than their parents.
• Notify the police if someone your child met online starts calling them,
sending gifts, or trying to lure them from home.
• Discuss what constitutes an inappropriate use of the Internet (harassing
others, bullying, using profanity, looking at pornography, making
purchases without your permission, etc) and what the consequences will
be.