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GUIDE FOR PARENTS How to make the Internet safe for your child The Internet is a wonderful source of information, and if you have a home computer with Internet access you surely want your child to master the marvels of this electronic wizard. At the same time, you don't want your child to view unsuitable material, make purchases using family credit cards, or be drawn into a relationship with a stranger he or she has "met" on the Internet.
Getting
the best To provide your child with the fun and educational opportunities the Internet offers while protecting her from possible dangers, you should supervise or, better yet, join-her Internet explorations. By putting the computer in a living area instead of in a bedroom, you can monitor your child's Internet use more easily and casually. Look at Web sites together, talk about their good and bad points, and tell your child how you feel about the advertisements they include. Set limits on the amount of time your child is allowed to spend online each day or week so surfing the Net does not take the place of homework, playing outdoors, seeing friends, or other worthwhile activities. If
you have a young child, pick as a home page a Web site that primarily has links
to other Web sites designed for children. The Children's Television Workshop Web
page (www.ctw.org), with its many activities, is a good
choice for children between preschool age and about age 10. This site and
a few others allow the child to access additional appropriate Web sites without
leaving the home Web page, but leaving is not actually blocked. Any Web site,
even these, may eventually lead to sites you would not want your child to
explore. Other good Web sites for young children include www.eplay.com, which is
directed to 8- to 12-year-olds and has a mix of educational and entertaining
activities, and is www.sikids.com, the Sports Illustrated for Kids Web page,
which offers a variety of games and sports tidbits with few Avoiding
problems Chat rooms are online forums where children can communicate in real time with many other participants by typing lines of text. In a few well publicized incidents, a child has arranged to meet in person someone she has been communicating with online, only to be sexually attacked by her new "friend." To keep chat rooms safe for your child, instruct the youngster not to use her real name when online and not to reveal personal information. The younger the child, the more important it is to closely supervise the use of chat rooms.
E-mail can present other problems. Your child may receive unsolicited "junk" e-mail urging her to buy products (using a credit card) or advertising pornographic Web sites. Contact your Internet service provider if it is not doing an adequate job of filtering out these messages.
To
limit your child's access to the Internet, you may want to consider purchasing
filtering software It's also a good idea to view from time to time image files (especially files with the suffixjpg and gif) and audio/video files (avi) that your child has downloaded from the Internet. You can also use the browser's "history" toolbar button or menu option to review the Web sites family members have visited during the past few weeks. Finally, teach your child the following "never":
NEVER
give out personal information, such as name (use a screen name), address, age,
school name, or friends' names NEVER
use a credit card online without permission. NEVER
share passwords, even with friends NEVER
arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone you meet online, unless a parent
approves and can go along NEVER
respond to messages that make you feel confused or uncomfortable NEVER use bad language or send mean messages online. This
list and other hints in the guide are based on a page from the American Academy
of Pediatrics Web site. For more helpful information, access the page, The
Internet and Your Family, at www.aap.orgifamily/interfamily.htm. |
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