Family Internet Safety

by Digital Reliability

71% of teens 13-17 reported receiving messages online from someone they don’t know.

About 1/3 of youth Internet users have been exposed to unwanted online pornography in 2005, an 8% increase.

As computers have become more common in the home, they have migrated from public study areas into children's bedrooms and playrooms. The result is an increase in risk of children being exposed to pornography and solicitations online. However, parents have been slow to keep up and inform their children of proper Internet safety.

Informing your children of online safety and conduct is as important today as looking both ways when crossing the street. Internet safety for your family requires more than informing your children not to talk to strangers; it requires a proactive, preventative, and continual approach to protecting your children online.

We have outlined some tips to help keep your family safe online:

Communication
Establish and enforce your family Internet usage rules. Ensure that your children, of any age, know the rules the should follow when using the computer. Some general guidelines to help you get started are:

Teach Your Child to NEVER
1) Make plans to meet with anyone he/she met online without permission and supervision.
2) Give out private information about themselves such as name, phone number, address, pictures, and school. Any information that others can use to track your location is private.
3) Answer sexual or harassing emails, chat room discussions, or bulletin board postings.

Computer Location
If at all possible, do not put a computer in your child's bedroom. This presents opportunity for children to be solicited or subjected to pornography without you being aware. It also severely limits your ability to monitor and protect your children in your own home. Think of the Internet as a telephone.

No one in their right mind would accept a call from a stranger saying, 'Hello, I don't know you, but put your child on so I [can] talk to her for a couple of hours.

With notebook computers being so inexpensive today, purchase a laptop that can sit out in a public area and then can be easily moved to the study area for school work sessions. You can also disable the Internet access for use in their room.

Filtering Software
You do not have to track your family's every online move. However, installing some inexpensive filtering software to ensure your children are not exposed to unwanted pornography or malicious software is a must. This will not only help you keep your children safe, it will very likely save you some expensive computer repair bills as well. Today's online software is sophisticated enough to block all sorts of unwanted material effectively, without limiting the child's ability to do research for school work.

Social Networking Sites
You need to ensure that your child's information is safe online, even when allowing your children to use social network sites e.g. MySpace and Facebook. Follow these three simple rules for social networking sites:
1) Make sure your child's site is "privacy blocked" i.e. visitors need permission to view the site and appear in a list you can check.
2) Make sure each "friend" site is also "privacy blocked."
3) Remember to explain to your child and their friends about not giving out sensitive information online.

Online Photo Galleries and Videos - YouTube™ Have you checked your photos and videos online?
Everyone knows not to upload media (photos, video, etc.) containing information you do not want others to see. However, what about the background information in the media? Is there a street sign in the background, an address, a license plate? Does the media show your child's school name in the school play or school football game? It is important that you ensure the media your child uploads to online web sites does not contain sensitive information that reveals their school or other activities where they may be alone or otherwise at risk.

Blogging, Message Boards, & Chat Rooms Online blogs and message boards, some of which are included with the social networking web sites, are prime places where children unwittingly give away information about their school schedules, meeting places, or other sensitive information. In an unprotected publicly available environment, this can give potential attackers information such as when the child is home alone, or when they will be going to the mall with friends. Ensure that your child knows not to give specific places, times, or dates of their daily activities.

Please feel free to visit the following educational resources to learn more about protecting your family online.

Educational Resources

Software Resources