The Internet and Your Child's Safety, What You Need To Do

Internet safety is a real issue today.  With a computer now out numbering TVs in the house, and internet built in, we as parents need to do are part to protect our children.  That means education.  We need to understand that the Internet is a two way communication tool, not just a toy for games.  What can we do?

There are many things that parents can do when it comes to Internet safety, but sadly, many do not take advantage of it. If a child were standing out in the middle of a public place shouting out their personal information to iffy people, and having intimate conversations with anyone who came along, a parent would surely be upset and make them stop. The Internet is basically the same thing, but parents don’t think that this is as dangerous. Though it’s not in a way, in another way it even more so.

There are many software tools that parents can use for Internet safety, but that is only half of the battle. Teenagers should never have access to a computer in their room when no one can see what they are doing. Though this might be the easy way to do things, no one can keep an eye on them when they are locked away in their room. To have proper Internet safety, parents have to be able to see what is going on at all times.

There are certain codes that teens use to warn the person they are talking to that a parent is in the room. If you see your child type initials and then stop typing all together, they may be talking to someone they don’t want parents to know about. However, they may also be talking to a friend and they might just be talking about something they don’t want parents to hear. This might be harmless, but it might not be. Though your child may freak out when you talk about Internet safety as you read though some of their stuff, it is your job to protect them, not be their best buddy.

Another way to keep track if Internet safety issues is to make sure each computer has an admin account that is locked with a password. That should be used to visit the history of the computer to see where the child or children are going when they are online. You may not want to dig in when they are having an obviously innocent conversation with someone you both know, or that they know from school, but you do have a right to know where they go online. It is also a great idea to put a filter on any computer to keep them from the sites that you don’t want anyone to visit.