Internet Safety Archives

Internet Safety for Kids

Are you the parent of a child who uses the internet or the parent of a child who will start using the internet soon? If you are, you should know that the internet is a great way to stay up-to-date on the news, do research for school projects, and communicate with friends, but it can also be very dangerous. As a parent, it is your responsibility to make sure that your child stays safe online. Unfortunately, for this to happen you must know your way around a computer and the internet. Do you?

Internet Safety for Kids: How and Why Parents Should Learn About the Internet Explained

A child should never know more than a parent does about the internet. At the very least, you should know about the same. If you are looking to block adult websites or websites that have offensive language, it will not do you any good if your teenager knows ways to get around the parental controls that you set. That is why it is important that you know how to use a computer and the internet or learn if you don’t know.

Another reason why you should be well educated on the internet and computer use is because you are better able to fully understand the dangers of them. You may hear that an internet predator approached or kidnapped a child on the news, but you may automatically assume that it will not happen to your child. Unfortunately, until you understand how the internet works, you really have no idea. Does your child use internet chat rooms or social networking websites? If so, do you know how easy the internet makes it for someone to create a whole new, fake identity?

Internet Safety for Kids: How and Why Parents Should Learn About the Internet For Preventative Measures

A good understanding of computer and internet use can better enable you to protect your child. Do you know that Internet Explorer, the browser that comes standard, has a free parental control option that just needs to be activated? A few easy steps and you can have certain websites blocked from your child. Unfortunately, you won’t know this if you don’t know all that you can know about the computer or the internet. Speaking of the internet, additional online safety tools for parents can be purchased online as well.

Now that you know the importance of staying in the know about the internet and a computer in general, you may be curious as to how you can go about doing so. The good news is that there are a number of ways that you can learn all that you need to know about computer and internet use. A few of these ways are outlined below for your convenience.

Teaching yourself is an easy way to learn about the internet and computer use. In fact, what better way is there than to just jump on the computer and see what you can find. For starters, examine your computer or your internet browser for free internet safety tools for parents. You may also want to visit some of the websites that your child visits, just to see what they are subjecting themselves to. Visit their online profile for MySpace, Facebook, or another social networking website. Does it make you uneasy? Are the discussions taking place in your child’s favorite chat room too adult?

You can also ask a trusted friend or relative for help. Do not ask your child or teenager for help though. If they know that you want to set up parental controls or keep tabs on their internet use, they may withhold important information from you. Instead, invite a trusted friend or relative over for coffee and lunch and let them show you the ins and outs of the internet. All you really need is a couple of hours.

You can also take an internet or computer education course. These courses are sometimes offered for free or for an affordable fee by local community groups, colleges, or vocational training centers. In fact, see if your child’s school offers anything. Some schools host informational seminars for parents on internet safety about once a year.

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Internet Safety: What to Do When Your Child Will Not Follow Your Rules

Are you the parent of a child or a teenager who uses the internet? If you are, you likely have internet safety rules already in place. If you do, how well is your child at following them?

When it comes to internet safety rules that you have set in place, it is important that your child follows them. Why? Because their health and safety is, literally, at risk. Not following your internet safety rules should be treated differently than a child who doesn’t clean their room. The situation is much more serious. If your child doesn’t follow the rules that you have set concerning internet use, they may unintentionally find themselves a target of a child predator.

Smiling baby boy with a hat on

What to Do When Your Child Will Not Follow Your Rules Explained

What you will want to do is re-talk to your child. Be sure that they are clear on your rules.

For example, if your child is allowed to use social networking websites, what are they not allowed to have posted on their profile?

Do you not want them to have personal information or personal pictures or videos shown?

Restate all rules that you have for your child and instruct them to start following them right away.

If your child still isn’t following your internet safety rules all of the way, you will want to give them one final warning.

Let them know that there are serious consequences to their actions. However, there is one important exception to this step.

If you suspect that your child is communicating with strangers online, like those who may be sexual predators, bypass the final warnings, as your child may already be in over their head.

As for what steps you should take next, you can ban your child from using the internet. This is the strictest form of punishment and likely the one that will send the clearest message. If your child must use the internet for school, like for a school research project, only let them do so when you are sitting right next to them. You can also make them do their research at their local library. This is a great way to make your child understand the importance and consequences of not following rules.

Another approach that you can take is to block the websites that you want to keep your child away from. For example, if you asked your child or teenager not to post personal pictures or videos of themselves online, but they still continue to do so, block the social networking websites that they use. If you have Internet Explorer, this is easy to do. First, open a new internet window. Then, from the dropdown menu select “Tools,” and then “Internet Options,” and then click on the “Content Tab.” Finally, under the heading of “Approved Sites,” you can also enter in the websites you want blocked.

You may also want to let your child use the computer when you are home or in the room. If they have their own computer, make them relocate it into a well traveled area, such as your living room. Speaking of which, if your child uses a family computer, you should always make sure that it is in an area where you can easily see what your child is doing online. This is a nice approach, as your child is still able to use the internet, but you are able to keep a close eye on them, making sure that they are following your rules.

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