Internet SafetyInternet Safety Danita RussellDanita Russell Intro

The Internet can be a wonderful tool, but we need to be concerned about our children’s safety first. Social networking

The Perfect Victim Ideal age: No or little parental involvement * No definite bedtime * Can be away from home without anyone knowing where he/she is * Has exclusive use of the computer in a private area

Predator Profiles

1.Place the computer in a central location in the home, not in your child’s room. The Monitor should face out so it is easy for you to see. 2.Learn who your child is chatting with online (take the “don’t talk to strangers” message into the digital world). Children allowed in chat rooms need additional supervision. If you decide to allow your child to enter a chat room, make sure your decision is based on their age and maturity. General Internet Safety Tips

3. Define your personal standard regarding your child’s privacy. Remind your child that computer use is not confidential. Children want to be treated as adults, and they feel entitled to privacy. But, with a computer, you can go too far in trying to respect your child’s privacy. Children should not have the expectation that everything they do on a computer will be considered personal and confidential.

4. Become familiar with chatting and search tools used by your kids. Explore some of the chat rooms yourself. Ask your child to teach you how to chat. 5. Control instant messaging. Like and chat rooms, instant messaging (or “IM’ing”) can be used to communicate secretly. Children use abbreviations and codes. See the handout for a list of commonly used abbreviations and codes.

6. Avoid Online profiles. Many websites offer users opportunities to set up an online profile where they can provide information about themselves. However, this information can be accessed and used by predators. One way to protect your child’s privacy is for him or her to avoid these online profiles. This will probably be the point where you reach the most resistance from your child.

7. Access your child’s . Share an account with your child or maintain access to their account and check it frequently. You might feel like this is too intrusive, but its not. A computer is different from a diary or personal journal. s, chatting, and instant messaging are an open window to your child’s life, carrying information to and from your home.

8. Keep screen names anonymous. Make sure your child’s screen name does not include personal information such as name, home address, or school name. 9. Let you child know that reporting unwanted or suspicious solicitations won’t lead to restrictions on computer use. Just as you wouldn’t punish a child for real life unwanted solicitations, don’t do any differently with cyberlife.

10. Know that restricting communications to a specific list of friends may not guarantee safe communications. You need to know who your child is spending time with online. 11. Set up an agreement with your child about computer use (hours, access to chat rooms, revealing personal information and photographs)

12. Do not rely solely on software to block/filter content. Do a Google search on how to find temporary Internet files on your operating system.

FBI Warning Signs – Tips for Parents  Your child spends large amounts of time online, especially at night.  You find pornography on your child’s computer.  Your child receives phone calls from someone you don’t know or is making calls, sometimes long distance, to numbers you don’t recognize.

 Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don’t know.  Your child hides what they are doing on the computer.  Your child becomes withdrawn from the family.  Your child is using another account.

Open family area Watch sites Chatrooms and IM accounts Never meet online friends MySpace and FaceBook accounts Google Know chat lingo What can you do? video

Be as mindful of the web sites your child visits as you are with the movies they go to see. Enjoy the computer and the Internet with your child.

If you need more help ….

Internet Safety Web Page WEB Leecountyschools.wikispaces.com Choose Internet Safety on the left hand side

Questions ?

1 2 Girl Scout Research Institute, Laura Chappell 4. Attorney General’s Office, Raleigh, North Carolina Bibliography