Tips for
Kids Online
1) Nicknames Save Lives
The internet can be a very dangerous place so avoid telling
your real name to anyone online. Tell only your close friends
who you are and if other people you don’t know begin
talking to you start fresh with a whole new name.
2) Don't
give out any personal information
Never share any personal information without the permission
of a parent. What ever you do – Do not tell anyone
your age, your address, your phone number or where you go
to school. Don’t tell people your parents work or
where and avoid even giving your email address out if you
can.
3) Don't send pictures
Don't send a digital picture of yourself to anyone on
the Internet. And if someone asks for one tell an adult
as soon as possible. Once you send a picture it is no longer
under your control. Your pictures, even pictures that you
have sent in “private” can be sent all over
the internet or posted for literally millions to see within
seconds. Also avoid using web cams. Thousands of webcam
signals are high jacked everyday and sent to adult websites
giving them access to your homes and lives.
4) Be kind
Don't be cruel. And be careful with your jokes. Jokes
can be very easily misread in print. Avoid telling or passing
along rumors at all costs. Also avoid responding to cruel
messages. If someone sends you a nasty message, tell an
adult immediately. Every day thousand of kids are bullied
or physically attacked because of messages sent online.
5) Don't believe the hype
The old saying “if it sounds too good to be true;
it probably is” is still good advice. Many of these
scams are designed to collect information on you and your
computer.
6) Don't meet strangers
If someone asks to meet you in person, say NO and tell
your parents or teacher right away. The person you are chatting
with may not be telling the truth; you could be talking
to an adult who is pretending to be a kid. According to
recent studies nearly 1/6 kids has been asked to meet with
an internet friend with questionable motives.
Computer Safety
Tips for Parents
- Learn about
the internet. Make sure you know as much or more
about what your kids are into than they do. If you know
the tricks of the trade your kids will be less likely and
less able to hide things from you. Monitor your child and
his or her activity – but remain respectful. You are
there for safety not meddling.
- Make
sure that your kids have access to the internet
if possible. The internet is am amazing tool, but it can
be a dangerous one too. Make sure that your kids are visible.
Kids are far less likely to engage in inappropriate behavior
if they are out in plain view. Make sure to have your computer
in an open area like the family room or kitchen area where
you can periodically monitor what’s going on.
- Talk
to your kids about what they are doing online.
Most people continually return to the same sites repeatedly.
If you know where they are going, you can go there too and
see what it’s like.
-
Check out all kinds of filtering tools and see
what will work best for you. Also remember to check out
your computer’s history from time to time and visit
these sites as well.
-
Make sure your kids know what you are doing. Don’t
hide your monitoring from them. Let them know exactly what
you are doing and that you are just trying to make sure
that they are safe. Most of all – if you want your
kids to be trustworthy then be trustworthy yourself. Don’t
go overboard!
- Make
sure your kids know never to give out personal
information or meet anyone they talk to online.
- Look
out for inconsistencies. If your kids seem overly
secretive or overly concerned about your little check ups
then there is almost certainly something to be checked up
on. If what your kids are doing is perfectly acceptable,
they will normally be pretty open with you - as long as
you’re not abusing their trust.
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