Internet Safety Rules For Parents
learn how to keep children safe on the Internet.
Find the tools that a parent needs to supervise and keep children and teenagers safe on the internet.
Trouble Areas for kIDS. tHESE ACTIVITIES NEED ADULT SUPERVISION. INTERNET SAFETY RULES
"The Court previously took judicial notice that every computer is manufactured with an on/off switch, that parents may utilize, in the end, to control the information which comes into their home via the Internet."
~ Judge Arthur J. Tarnow, in Cyberspace v. Engler
Strategic Objectives" for children's online safety:
Kids are taught to "manage their own online behavior." In other words, by teaching our children respect, civility and citizenship online as well as off, we improve their chances for safe, constructive, and productive use of the Net and mobile phones.
- "Reduce availability [of harmful contact and contact to online kids] ... and the conduciveness of platforms to harmful and inappropriate conduct"
- "Restrict access ... and reduce ... harmful and inappropriate conduct"
- "Increase resilience: Equip children to deal with exposure to harmful and inappropriate content and contact, and equip parents to help their children deal with these things and parent effectively around incidences of harmful and inappropriate conduct by their children.
In many families, these problems are solved with good parenting skills, and establishing trust and limits. But even strong parents could use some technological help.
This page contains a Flash video. To view it requires that the Flash plugin is installed and Javascript enabled.
House Rules: PARENTS: LEARN HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHILD SAFE ON THE INTERNET
The bottom line is that your kids do NOT have a right to privacy when it comes to internet or computer use, and you as a parent have a right and a responsibility to see to it that they're not getting into anything they shouldn't be getting into.
If it's illegal offline, it's illegal on the Web. Children from 0 - 16 are entitled to exactly as much privacy as they can safely handle. In the case of the Internet, that means none. Children should be told up front that their communications will be monitored on an ongoing basis. This is a condition of their use of the Internet. If they don't like it, they can find something else to do with their time.
Parents need to know where their children are, who they are hanging out with at all times. The internet is the same as mall or anwhere else on earth. Parents are allowed to know where their child is on the internet and what they are doing there. And it's pretty easy to keep them in line, because the alternative for them is to not be permitted to use your machine -- end of story.
Too many parents are afraid to take control of their child’s computer. They’re afraid of their kids. They somehow think because technology is involved, they’re no longer the parent. You’re the parent. If you don’t like it, unplug the computer. If they don’t follow your rules, no Internet at all. If you’re not the parent and if you’re not going to step in, no Web site on earth is going to be able to help your child be safe.
Take computers out of the bedrooms and put them in the living room or where the parents are. Mobile phones and interactive consoles should also be kept downstairs in case they contain viruses.
The Sensible Approach to all this is watch this movie.
Right Click and save this movie to your desktop.
Then download this player to your desktop.
Now you can drag the movie flv file on top of the player icon which will automatically launch the movie for you.
- Internet Party: When Google's parents leave town where kids go and get in trouble
- Great places to take the kids where you should go with the kids
- Call US bilingual toll-free hotline 1.888.638.7411 with questions about topics such as social networking, cellphone texting, and virtual worlds.
- Video, with "common sense tips and rules for families" and companion print and Web materials, a joint project of CommonSenseMedia.org
- What Real People & Real Computers really act like vs. what you see in the Movies
- Virginia is the first US state to require online-safety instruction in its public schools.
- WAIT I thought YOU were in charge of Security?
LEARN THE INTERNET RULES 10 TIPS FOR SAFE SURFING
- Discover the internet Together
- Agree to the rules for internet use
- Encourage your child to be careful when disclosing personal information.
- Talk about the risks of meeting an online friend face to face
- Teach your child to be critical of online sources Parents please sit down with your kids at the computer and teach them to recognize ads. Remember, the computer is like TV. Is everything on your TV appropriate for your child? Teach them to be aware of all media.
- Empowerment & Convergence Dialogue
Look at a Ratings chart that will tell Parents how to use the warning labels and what they look like to give them the tools to decide if their child is old enough to be using/buying the product. Full Guide - Don't be too critical of your child's web browsing
- Report illegal online material to the police
- Encourage good Netiquette
- Know your children's net use
- Remember that the positive aspects of the internet outweigh the negatives.
Jakob Nielsen released “Usability of Websites for Children,” debunks a number of myths about how children (ages 5-11) navigate through sites. Summary:
-- Kids aren't naturally skillful on computers.
-- Kids are literal thinkers, they won't scroll down the page. It’s “out of sight, out of mind.”
-- Kids get more confused than their parents becuase they actually read directions.
-- Learning is their job and they are only willing to read a paragraph or so.
-- Kids don’t distinguish between ads and content. To them, it’s all information.
-- Kids click on ad banners all the time.
-- Kids ignore error messages and go someplace else.
-- Sights are easier to use when they have highest degree of compliance with standard guidelines for Web usability.
-- kids resist attempts to get personal information, are aware of privacy issues, and that they shouldn’t give out their name or phone number.
Kids sites are hard to use when:
-- Designers make controls too complicated
-- interface is too busy
-- confusing vocabulary describing options
-- everything was dumbed down for kids which wasn't necessary
ABOUT TROUBLE AREAS FOR KIDS & PARENTs - page 2
These things need to be superviseD !! |