Talking About Online Safety

Talking to our children about online safety can be difficult for parents.  By educating yourself and your children, you can help make the Internet a safe and valuable tool for your family. The most important thing you can do is to pay close attention to your children and encourage them to confide in you. They should know that you will be calm and protective if they tell you about something that has frightened or disturbed them.

Protecting your children online:

1.  Teach your kids not to give out personal information such as their last name, your last name, their home address, or phone number, especially in a chat room, over a bulletin board, or to an online pen pal without your permission.
2.  Make sure your kids know not to agree to a face-to-face meeting with someone they meet online.
3.  Instruct your kids never to respond to e-mail or chat messages that make them feel uncomfortable or from someone they don't know. Stress that they should show such messages to you.
4.  Surf the Internet with your kids. If it is not possible for you to actually surf with your kids, at least talk to them about the Web sites they are visiting.
5.  Place the computer in a public room in your home so that even when you are not surfing with your kids, you can monitor their use. Do not allow computers in bedrooms or the use of web cams.
6.  Establish ground rules for your kids' Internet usage, including the hours they may surf and the kinds of Web sites they may visit. Post the rules near the computer.
7.  Learn how to use parental controls and archiving features. You should be able to check your child's email account and review the sites your child has visited on the Internet.

 Protect Your Family's Privacy:

1.  Read the privacy policy of the Web sites your kids visit to learn the kinds of personal information they are collecting, how it will be used, and whether it will be passed on to third parties. If a Web site doesn't post this information, e-mail for details about their information collection practices.
2.  Become familiar with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which requires Web sites that are directed toward children under 13 to obtain a parent's permission before collecting many types of information. For more information on COPPA, visit the Federal Trade Commission's Web site at www.ftc.gov.
3.  Be informed before deciding whether to give consent. Check a Web site's information collection practices before you decide whether or not to give consent. Keep in mind that you can give a Web site consent to collect information, but refuse to allow your child's information to be passed on to a third party.
4.  You can always change your mind and revoke consent. If at any time you change your mind about a Web site's collecting your child's information, you may revoke your consent and have your child's information deleted.

5.  Be willing to ask a Web site to delete your child's information. If you think a Web site might already have collected information from your kids, ask to see what information they have collected and request that it be deleted.

 Remember - You Are Still the Parent!

And, finally... repeat after me: "I'm still the parent!" If they don't listen or follow your rules, then unplug the computer...