Protecting Your Children Online 

The internet has become common in the majority of households in the United States. Many households now have more than one computer, with teenagers and children having their own computer. Parents need to be vigilant and monitor what their children are doing online.

Alarming Statistics 

According to the U.S. Attorney General: 

• 79% of teens say they are not careful enough when giving out information about themselves online
• 64% of teens say they do things online they don’t want their parents to know about.
• 20% of children are sexually solicited online. (Almost 90% of these occurred in either Chat Rooms or via Instant Messaging.)

These statistics are alarming. Parents can no longer feel their children are safe because they are at home. Even while sitting in your own living room, your teenagers can be sexually solicited. 

Warning Signs 

Knowing the warning signs can help parents to keep their children safe: 

• Does your child quickly turn off the computer when you come into the room?
• Does your teen spend large blocks of time on the computer, especially late at night?
• Is your teen receiving phone calls or mail from adults you do not know?

Tips to Keep Children and Teens Safe 

Keeping track of what your children are doing online and monitoring their computer use are some of the ways parents can help keep their teens safe. Online monitoring programs offer parents a way to see everything a child does, including receiving an email with detailed information on emails sent, chat rooms visited, the text typed into chat rooms or instant messages. This type of monitoring is seen as invading privacy to some parents; others feel it is imperative to use some type of software in order to ensure their children are protected and safe. 

The U.S. Attorney General Office offers some tips for parents: 

• Keep the computer in a family area where it is accessible and viewable by everyone.
• Set limits for how long your child can be on the computer and what times they are allowed to be online.
• Use software to filter inappropriate sites and to monitor online behavior.
• Learn how to use your computer’s history and regularly view the sites your child visits.
• Talk to your children often about internet safety and rules. Remind them not to give out any personal information.
• Set a rule that you must know their screen names and help them choose one that does not provide any hints to their identity.
• Remind your children they are never to meet someone they have met online. Discuss how people can say anything online and that predators will lie to get them to trust them.
• Limit the time they spend on social networking sites. Monitor their behaviors on these sites. Discuss the dangers of these sites.
• Tour the sites your children go to and look at any profiles they complete on social networking sites.
• Don’t allow your children to upload any photos of themselves.

Although children today have grown up with the internet as part of their daily activities and using the internet has become commonplace, parents must remain diligent in their efforts to keep their children safe.

By Eileen Bailey

See Also:

Cyberbullies

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