Internet Safety for our Children & Safety Tips
| Published: 22nd February 2008 12:20 |
More and more children are being set homework which involves using search engines and yet incredibly, because of a lack of internet policing, our children are under an increasing risk of viewing inappropriate images just by using innocent search words.
The internet is a wonderful tool, we can find the answer to any question at the click of a button. We are learning so much more about our world through this treasure trove of information and so of course the world wide web is becoming a major source in helping to educate our newest generation. Children are being taught to use the internet from a very young age at school and at home and frighteningly, the more they learn about how to use it, the more dangerous it becomes.
We are warned against scams and phishing and we can even report these but who is policing the sites? Films and TV programmes are regulated, as are video games and music cd's, but the internet is not.
It is right that parents and carers should supervise their children while they use the internet and ensure that the family's computer has parental blocks in place, but these don't always protect in the way we assume they do.
There is now a petition requesting more protection for our youngest and most innocent people by providing sites with a rating like we have in films and suggests a central internet policing point for us to report any sites that slip though the ratings. You can add your signature by clicking on http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SaferInternet/ and follow the instructions.
Top Ten Safety Tips on How to Keep your Child Safe Online
- Consider using internet filtering software, walled gardens and child-friendly search engines. Use your browser's controls as some offer differing degrees of security for each family member.
- Check out what child protection services your Internet Service Provider (ISP) offers - do they filter for spam, for instance? If not, ask them why.
- Keep the computer in a communal area of the house, where it's easier to monitor what your children are viewing.
- Tell children not to give out their personal details. If they want to subscribe to any services online, make up a family email address to receive the mail.
- Children love to chat, but make sure they only use moderated chat rooms and encourage them to introduce you to their online friends.
- Encourage your children to tell you if they feel uncomfortable, upset or threatened by anything they see online.
- Involve your children in writing your own family code of acceptable internet use. Remember that what's acceptable for a teenager isn't necessarily OK for a primary school-aged child, so get their input.
- Computer kit is expensive so bear in mind that a child with a laptop may be vulnerable when carrying it to and from school.
- The web's a great resource for homework, but remember to use more than one site in research to get broad, balanced information and always reference your research sources.
- Surf together. Go online with your children and become part of their online life. The key to safe surfing is communication.
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