Child Safety Online - Dont Wait!

As the internet becomes more of a social medium it brings with it some of the social problems of society. Problems such a bullying and predatory adults who seek out weak and venerable people such as children and exploit them. Child safety online is an issue every parent/guardian faces and is one that must be addressed immediately upon your child having online access.

Here are areas parents MUST show diligence in to protect their children online.

1. Talk to your child about the potential dangers of the Internet and how to protect themselves. Let your child know how serious an issue this is and that you will be monitoring their usage and checking their sites in order to keep them safe.

- Tell your child the following.

- Not to put any personal information online anywhere.

- If your older children are using a chatroom be sure they know to immediately exit if they
   feel  uncomfortable in any way.

- Never agree to meet in person, or send personal photographs to anyone they meet online.

- Never respond to messages containing offensive or threatening language.

- Always check with mom or dad before going into an online area that has fees or charges.

2. Parents need to adhere to the following and manage these on a regular basis.

- Block sites that could harm or violate privacy. It is suggested to block sites like Facebook and MySpace. However if your older children are using these sites then parents need monitor their friends list and photographs.

- Be sure there are no inappropriate comments in their profile and check uploaded videos from YouTube.

- Monitor their use of email programs such as MSN and Yahoo.

- If your child chats, monitor who they chat with and when.

- Get your school age child's user ID and password to their social networking page. Check it often, and note down anything that you think threatens their safety.

- Be aware of the amount of time your child spends online. Monitor them closely to make sure they're using the Internet safely.

- Keep the computer somewhere that you can monitor the screen easily from time to time. A placewhere you can casually glance at it and check the screen.

- Take advantage of your Internet service providers parental controls. These controls can block access to certain Web sites, chat rooms, newsgroups and other things on the Internet that are not suitable for children.

 - Your child's school should have an acceptable use policy for Internet access. Be sure this is in effectat the school and that student Internet use is monitored by teachers.

 - Discuss online safety with friends' parents and find out if the children are monitored online.

 - Keep your ears open for comments from your child with regards to their friends and their interactiononline. Don't assume all parents have every angle covered. Remember there is no full proof system for their safety.

 - It is important to maintain an open line of communication with your child so transparency is important. Let your child know you will be monitoring his online activity and that you will be checking his sites, emails, and chatrooms.

 Ensure that your children dont get caught up in the social problems of society, unfortunately these get into your home via the internet so keep them and yourselves safe from predators online.

There are many reasons kids are not safe online know what they are and how other kids not being safe online can spread from your child's school to your home. child safety online.