Important Internet Safety Tips for Kids – Part II
By Andrew Loh
It is completely normal for your children to use internet. The time has
already changed, while the usage of internet has become ubiquitous.
Internet has global and everyone is using the internet, including a ten
year old child. While parents cannot control what is published online on
a web portal, they can easily control how their children use internet
and in what manner they become responsible in the art of internet
surfing. Home is the place where children start learning the art of
internet surfing. Parents introduce their children to the world of
internet at an early age. However, the way in which a child uses the
internet facility plays an important role. Your children may invite
danger, if they are not careful, with whom they are talking to and/or
sharing their personal information.
Before learning the importance of Internet safety tips for kids, you
will first need to learn and understand the internet usage pattern by
children and teens, and all the potential dangers related to them. So,
what are the big concerns that you must address, while considering
safety tips for internet? According to popular surveys conducted in the
past, the two most important online dangers those that your children are
likely to encounter are as follow:
First and the foremost are children posting or uploading their
photos, videos and personal details like addresses and phone numbers on
online profiles. These simple online activities could attract dangerous
and criminal minded web users, to follow and stalk children.
Second and the most important are children, who might unknowingly
visit one of those sleazy and pornographic web sites. Such sites contain
graphical scenes and nudity with live videos and chat shows. Such web
portals can disturb the minds of young web surfers.
Hence, the internet safety tips that you chose for your children should
solely focus on the above-mentioned issues. Internet safety starts at
your home and with your home computer. The first few years (5-10 years)
may not be so dangerous for your children because, you will be guiding
your children in their quest to learn the basics of internet. In fact,
you chose what you children learn and comprehend. Most probably, you
will be choosing those sites that relate to stories, interactive games
or those that relate to their classroom project work. However, the real
trouble starts when your children start surfing the internet outside
your home, in their class or elsewhere. This is the time when children
come into contact with their peers, who have online profiles on social
book marking web sites. You may lose your control on your children at
this juncture, because they will be having their access to internet
facilities outside the home and on their mobile phones.
Whatever the case, you can still raise responsible and internet savvy
children, who really know what they are doing on their computers and how
they surf their web portals. Responsible children, who know how to surf
internet web sites effectively, also know which sites to avoid and how
they should behave when they come into contact with online strangers.
Here are some general internet safety tips and suggestions that could
help you teach your children remain on their guard all the time:
Tip: Make sure that you install a cyber activity monitor software tool
to control the web sites that your children visit and see. These
software tools are simple to install and use. These tools work by
blocking important keywords those are related to pornography and sex.
Sit down and talk to your children: It is very important that your
children should know and understand what you want from them. You should
let them know that you are concerned with their safety when they are
using internet. In other words, you should try to train their minds to
have an orientation towards the most common internet safety protocols.
Set rules and guidelines: Internet is all about useful and strict
guidelines. Everyone should follow some basic rules and guidelines. This
applies to your children as well. Your children should know how long
they should use their computer. You should assert yourself on what your
children can do and cannot do online. Discuss the basics of instant
chatting, messaging, blogging and social networking. You may also need
to assert on the type of service your children want to gain access
Making sure your children are following your guidelines: Rules are good,
only when they are followed by your children. Your children should
listen to your guidelines and they should make sure that they are
Pay your attention: Ensure that you are keeping a watch on your
children, when they are working with their computers. Check out what
they are doing, when they are using internet.
Master how to use latest technology: There are hundreds of safety tips
available on the internet. You may wish to study them in detail and
later apply them to your children. Take your time to learn more about
internet surfing filters, firewalls and kid browsers. You should know
how to use these tools before teaching the basics to your children.
Be a detective: Do some detective work on your children's computer;
check browsing history, cache and cookie collection to see what your
children are actually doing. Make sure that you are checking downloaded
files and installed software as well. One important thing that you must
do here is to check for their online profiles by entering their names or
nicknames on one of the major search engines. You can even enter your
personal phone number, as well the address of your home to see, if your
children are using them on some sites.
Watch out for tell-tale warning signals: Cyber bullying is one of the
most common online threats. Some children might experience this unfavorable situation, when they are visiting social
In case, there in increased incidence of cyber bullying, your child may
get frightened and withdraw from normal daily activities. Watch out for
any unusual changes in your children's behavior.
You should stay in close touch with your children, when they are
Install a cyber patrolling software that can control most of sleazy
and pornographic web sites.
Uninstall all suspicious software programs and erase/delete
questionable downloaded files.
Try to find out your children's user names and passwords for their
social networking and chat messenger site accounts.
Using mobile internet is also very common now; checking your
children's mobile phones (if, they have one with them) for possible
internet activities could be a good idea.
Your children may start using the telephone for unusually longer
durations. Try to find out the numbers they dial or try to find out with
whom they have been talking.
Internet Safety Tips For Kids & Parents: What Every Child & Parent Needs to Know!
By M K Wade
Parents and kids both need to learn and know about the
dangers that lurk online in the world of cyberspace. As a
parent you need to be aware of simple basic common sense
strategies you can teach your children and teens to help
keep them safe online. As a child or teenager you need to be
aware of simple rules that can keep you safe while you still
are able to enjoy exploring the online world.
This Information Superhighway is part of our children's
everyday lives. Parents need to learn how they can help keep
their children safe, teach them to take responsibility and
make good choices while online. Both you and your child need
to be able to recognize trouble spots and equip yourselves
with the knowledge to stay safe.