Internet Safety: Teaching Your Kids to Surf… Is Proud to Offer

 Introduction  The Internet offers incredibly valuable education tools.  But -- Internet dangers are real.  This presentation will offer a brief overview of Internet safety -- to protect your children.

Why Surf the Internet?  Research can enhance studies  Vast stores of information  Communicate with friends  Low cost – no postage or phone charges

How students use the Internet… other uses:  Homework  Shopping  Distance Learning  Sharing photos/videos  Downloading music/ movies  Playing games  Chat rooms  Reading/ writing (Excerpted from recommendations on getnetwise.com)

What do you want kids to find?  Cultural sites  Search engines for research  Historical and scientific information  Tutoring sites sponsored by textbook publishers…  … Teachers know that the list goes on and on!

What Internet Sites are safe?  Plenty of sites offer safe zones for kids:  AOL Kids OnlyAOL Kids Only  Yahooligans.comYahooligans.com  Kids ClickKids Click  Microsoft Encarta SchoolhouseMicrosoft Encarta Schoolhouse  Zeeks.comZeeks.com  Ask KidsAsk Kids  Family.comFamily.com

Can you answer these questions?  Where is the computer located in your home?  Does your home computer have parental controls? And are they activated?  Do your supervise your child while online?  Does your child have a Social Networking account such as Club Penguin, MySpace, or Facebook?  Does your child have an account?  Does your child have an iTunes account or download music?  Does your child have a gaming system connected to the Internet?  Do you have a web camera on your home computer? (Excerpted from recommendations on getnetwise.com)

If you answered YES… If you answered yes to any of the previous questions, then Internet Safety should be a concern for you and your family.  Parents often set curfews and have rules about visiting a friend’s house without an adult present. You may want to consider similar rules for Internet use in your home. Basic family rules are an excellent starting point for establishing Internet Safety guidelines.. (Excerpted from recommendations on getnetwise.com)

MOST Important… Tell your child: 1. Never give out personal information* on the Internet. 2. NEVER give out personal information* on the Internet. 3. ALWAYS obey 1 & 2 !!!! * Personal information = name, address, age, physical description, etc. (Excerpted from recommendations on getnetwise.com)

Why worry about safety?  1 in 5 children received a sexual solicitation or approach on the Internet in (Source: Online Victimization, NCMEC, June 2000 )  Only 1 in 4 youths who received a sexual solicitation told a parent. (Source: Online Victimization, NCMEC, June 2000 )  A study by the NOP Research Group found that of kids ages 7-17 who surfed the Internet, 29 percent would freely give out their home address.

Why worry about safety? METROPOLITAN DESK | November 22, 2001 Woman Pleads Guilty in Abuse of Teenager Lured on the Internet By BRUCE LAMBERT (NYT) 323 words A woman charged with helping her boyfriend kidnap and sexually abuse a 15-year-old girl who was enticed in an Internet chat room has pleaded guilty... Because the dangers are REAL

Internet Dangers include:   Pornography  Hate Literature and Racist Content  Aggressive Advertising  Illegal Activity  Violent Images  Cyberbullying (Excerpted from recommendations on getnetwise.com)

CYBERBULLYING:  What is it?  How can we prevent it?  How do you know if your child is involved?  Website:  dex2.html dex2.html

Important Safety Tips  Check out online pals just as you would your child’s friends visiting your home.  Keep an eye on your child’s .  Talk with your child about the dangers of getting together with someone he or she "meets" online.  Restrict or monitor your child’s use of “chat” functions.   Install a filter that restricts your child from giving out his or her name, address (home or ), or phone number. (Excerpted from recommendations on getnetwise.com)

More Important Safety Tips  Create guidelines for your child to follow  Follow thru with your guidelines  Read more about Internet safety  Do a little sleuthing- check the Internet history  Know when to say “NO”  Watch for warning signals in the behavior of your child.  Teach them not to give out personal information such as: Name, Daily or weekly schedule, Address, Age, Birthday, School, Location, Phone number, don’t add personal photos or videos (Excerpted from recommendations on getnetwise.com)

Summary  The Internet offers wonderful opportunities, IF it is properly monitored.  Your children are safest when they view Internet visitors with the same caution as they would visitors to your home.  The best source of protection for children surfing the Internet– as in most scenarios– is the powerful team of their teachers AND their parents, working together to provide accurate information.

Parent Resources………..…  FBI Tipline   Netsmartz workshop for parents:   Netsmartz Workshop 411:   FBI Parents Guide to Internet Safety:   Online Safety Guidelines   Cyberbullying: