Internet Safety for Kids

Keeping Your Kids safe on the Web

The Internet has become a crutch upon which the majority of the country depends upon. There was a time at which the internet was not such a readily available tool; however, and at that time public libraries were the go to place for research projects for students. As the use of the internet by children has expanded security has become a significant issue. Security is not just a problem for children completing research projects though; the fact of the matter is that in an age that centers on technology, children rely upon computers not only for research but also for entertainment and communication as well. There are a number of ways in which parents can ensure their child’s safety while using the net; in this article we will cover some of those methods.

Why is it Important to Implement Internet Safety for Kids?

The very nature of the internet makes it a service that spans the globe and as such there is no way to know just who is on the other side of a computer screen. Since there are no regulations to monitor who uses the internet and how they use it, it becomes necessary to implement some type of security at home to control what our children are exposed to. Without the use of internet security systems it becomes possible for a number of unsavory individuals to make their way in to the home. Some examples of such behavior are child predators who seek contact with minor children for explicit conversations, child predators who lure children in to meeting them in real life, thieves who urge children to share private information and criminals who seek information in regards to when the home may be vacant. All of these examples are instances where unsavory individuals find their way in to the home without being noticed and it is important to implement steps to ensure that this type of action does not occur.

How Can Parents Ensure Internet Safety?

As a parent it can be overwhelming to feel as though you have to protect your child from anything and everything present on the internet. It is important to remember that not everyone on the world wide web is seeking to steal your identity or take advantage of your child, but it is important to protect against these people should they exist. There are a number of steps that you can take as a parent to increase your child’s safety online.

Place the Computer in a Public Location

One of the biggest things that parents can do to help enforce appropriate internet behavior is to always place the computer in a public location. It can be difficult to do this in an age where so many children have their own laptop or personal computer; however, it is one of the most efficient ways to ensure your child’s safety. Often time’s children are tempted to visit chat rooms and websites that they would otherwise not visit, when they are not being supervised and so placing the computer in a public location will help to curb this type of behavior. If your child has their own laptop or personal computer you should demand that your child always be in view when using the internet so that you can view their screen should you choose to do so.

Password Protect Your Internet Access

Always monitoring children’s internet access or computer use can be particularly difficult especially in a family where both parents have full time jobs. One way to keep an eye on internet usage even in a home where parents are not home all the time, is to password protect access to the internet. By placing a password on your internet access you make sure that your child is unable to access the internet when you are not home to monitor their computer usage. It is important to make sure that the internet password is one that your child is not familiar with or one that can be guessed easily and you should not allow your child to see you type in the password to their computer. By making sure that the password is not remembered on your child’s computer you can control when they are able to access the internet. This method of locking down internet access is not always successful since not everyone in a neighborhood locks down their internet access. With computers that are able to wirelessly access the internet it is possible for your child to access the internet through the use of a neighbor’s unsecured network. There is generally nothing you can do to protect your child from accessing the internet by using a neighbor’s unsecured network so it is important that you familiarize yourself with all open networks in the neighborhood to ensure that there are none available for your child to access when you are not home to monitor them.

Take Possession of Your Child’s Laptop

If you find yourself living in a community where very few of your neighbor's password protect their networks, you also find yourself in a neighborhood where your child is able to freely access the internet. If your child uses a laptop computer one way to combat this is to take possession of your child’s laptop to ensure that they cannot utilize it when you are not home to monitor them. Storing your child’s laptop in your car is not a good idea because of the excessive heat that can damage the computer itself but there are a number of other ways that you can take possession of your child’s computer including: taking it to work with you in your laptop bag and placing it in a well hidden location within the home.

Set Specific Computer Access Times

Setting specific computer access times is another great way to monitor your child’s access to the internet. This type of scheduled usage is not only beneficial in protecting your child from accessing adult material on the internet but it is also helpful in minimizing the amount of time that your child spends on the internet. This type of plan is generally implemented in households that have one computer that is shared by all family members; however, it can also be implemented in a home with multiple computers by taking possession of laptops and shutting down personal computers during “off hours.” Children can often become frustrated with having their access to computers limited but it is important to set boundaries not only for their safety but also for their well-being. Children who spend longer hours secluded in the home playing on the computer have a higher tendency towards obesity and introversion. In order for a child to be well rounded and healthy it is important to promote real life socialization as well as real life interactions by limiting computer use.

Teach Your Children What Is and Is Not Acceptable

When teaching your child what is and is not acceptable online it is important to keep conversations age appropriate. All children, however, should be instructed to inform an adult if they come across some type of content that is not acceptable. For the most part children will understand what is and is not acceptable content; however, since you should be taking an active monitoring role on internet usage you should jump in and let your child know if they run in to something that is not acceptable for viewing. Likewise, your child should be taught what appropriate interaction with others is. Interaction with anyone other than those who are personally known should be discouraged and even for those who are acquainted with your child inappropriate activity is possible. Make sure that your child is aware that they should notify you if anyone attempts to share unacceptable material with them whether it is a stranger or a friend.

Always Know Your Child’s Passwords

Your child should never have a password that you are not familiar with. In general passwords should be discouraged for things like logging in to a laptop that is kept within the home – laptops that are taken outside of the home such as for high school should have a password, however, to ensure that they are more secure against other students taking and using them. If there is an instance such as high school use of a laptop that requires a password it is important that your child shares that password with you so that you have unlimited access to their computer activity. Passwords may be required for initially logging in to a computer, opening a browser, opening chat programs like AIM, ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger and Skype, logging in to e-mail accounts, logging in to bank accounts and occasionally opening password protected documents such as Microsoft Word documents. It should be expressly forbidden that your child password protect unnecessary files and if passwords are required for things such as e-mail your child should understand that it is mandatory to share that password with you. When your child understands that there is a possibility that you will log in to their e-mail account and track their activity they are less likely to take part in questionable activity that could get them in to trouble in one way or another.

Implement Internet Security Software

There is a large number of internet security software out there intended specifically to protect children against accessing restricted material. The majority of these programs work the same way that a parental lock on a television cable box might. After installing your chosen internet security software you will be prompted to set specific settings to monitor and restrict your child’s internet access. Depending upon the specific security program that you choose to use the set up process will be different; however, most if not all of these programs come with explicit instructions on how to limit your child’s access to specific areas of the web such as website known for being “chat” sites. The drawback to implementing these types of security software is that there are often websites that slip through the cracks. The only way to ensure that your child is not being exposed to one of these websites that slips through the security cracks is to use a program that restricts access to all websites with the exception of those which you explicitly grant access to. Using security software in this way can be cumbersome because it means that any time your child wants to visit a website that is not on the “permitted websites” list you will have to edit that list to grant them access. With that said, however, you should always be actively monitoring your child’s internet usage so this should be a minimal inconvenience.

Limit the Use of Social Networking Sites

Social networking sites are the newest and most “popular” thing for most internet users these days, particularly Facebook and Twitter. These services can be helpful for children to communicate with each other about school projects and without tying up phone lines and breaking texting limits on phones; however, they should be closely monitored. Using social networking websites makes it easier for certain unsavory individuals to target children so use of these types of sites should always be monitored and children should not “add” friends that they do not personally know without talking to an adult first. As mentioned above, your child’s passwords to these social networking sites should always be made known to you so that you can log in and check activity and “friends” lists to ensure that there are no unknown or questionable people contacting your child.

Talk Candidly With Your Child about Internet Safety

One of the most important things that you can do as a parent to enforce your child’s safety when they are using the internet is to have an age appropriate conversation with them about internet security. It is important to focus upon the age appropriate aspect of this conversation because talking with a first grader about the explicit nature of certain websites or the fact that there are child predators seeking interaction can be traumatizing. Children should be aware that there are “strangers” on the internet just like there are in public and that they should avoid talking to those strangers. It is not necessary when talking to a younger child about the dangers of talking to strangers on the internet, to tell them about the stranger’s possible intentions. Below are some of the points that should be covered when talking to any child about internet safety:

1. Don’t talk to strangers. If someone you don’t know tries to send you an e-mail or instant message you should notify an adult in the household.
2. Don’t visit chat rooms. Chat rooms of any kind can be conducive to a number of bad situations such as interaction with child predators and online bullying so it is best that they are avoided all together. Even in “child approved” chat rooms such as those dedicated to children’s toys, it is possible for child predators to pose as other children to lure children in to conversation.
3. Don’t ever give out credit card information or make purchases alone. There are a significant number of websites out there that allow anyone to purchase just about anything; however, only a fraction of those websites utilize security measures to ensure that your credit card information is protected. Using just one of these unprotected websites can reveal your personal credit card information to thieves and result in credit card or identity theft that can be absolutely devastating. If purchases online are to be made it is important that a responsible adult be present at the time and that the website being used is security protected.
4. Don’t act or say things that you would not say to someone’s face. This may seem like a somewhat strange request to have of your child when they are online, however, it is important that they understand the impact that their words or actions can have upon another person. More recently the idea of cyber-bullying has come to light and the significant impact that it can have on other children. Most children are aware of how their words and actions can influence someone when they are said to someone else’s face; however, when hiding behind a computer screen children often become much braver in the words that they choose to use and without seeing how they impact someone else.
5. Don’t share private information. Many children who do end up in chat rooms or who use social networking websites like Facebook often update others as to their daily comings and goings specifically when they are home alone, when they are out of the home and when they are going on vacation. These types of information can be used by thieves to target a home for burglary so it is particularly important to make sure that your child understands the importance of not sharing personal information as to their whereabouts with others.

The Importance of Being Proactive

There is a difference between being proactive and being a nosy, meddling parent, although your child (particularly your teenager) is going to have trouble understanding that idea. Sometimes as a parent though it is important to play the “bad guy” and be unpopular for the choices that you make and the rules that you enforce. In the case of internet security being the “bad guy” could mean saving your child from being exposed to (or worse) child predators, thieves and online bullies. As a child it is often hard to understand that such bad people exist in the world, children feel invincible and protected from all of the bad things out there because as parents we do our best to make it that way but this becomes a problem when it comes to interacting on the internet. Being a proactive parent means playing the “bad guy” so that you can protect your child from the real bad guys out there who intend harm to your child or your family.