Louis J. Freeh, former Director of the FBI stated what we already know that "our children are our Nation's most valuable asset. They represent a bright future for our country and hold our hopes for a better nation. Our children are also the most vulnerable members of society. Protecting our children against the fear of crime and from becoming victims of crime must be a national priority." With this thought in mind, it is important that we educate ourselves and our children to be savvy Internet users.
Be safe on the Internet.
Explore the following site http://www.netsmartz.org/Teens
The site has animated comic style characters who model safe online practices.
Rules for Parents:
Keep Current with technology. You don't have to be an expert, but a little understanding goes a long way towards keeping your child safer online get basic technical training and learn about new products as they are released.
Keep Communicating with your children about everything they experience on the internet. Learn their lingo, and ask them when you don't understand something. Keep your lines of communication open.
Keep Checking your children's internet activity. Know where they go online. Let them know that you'll keep checking because you love them, and you want them to understand that the Internet is a public forum and not private.
Other useful information for Parents:
Have the family computer in an open area - keep it out of the child's bedroom.
Become a part of your child's online experience - It can be a fun journey to explore the wonders of the internet as a family. As computer-savvy as kids and teens are today, they may even teach you a thing or two.
When using e-mail, beware of opening unsolicited attachments - Viruses, can be activated by unsuspecting e-mail users opening infected attachments to e-mail messages. Viruses can spoof the sender of the e-mail, making it look like someone you know sent the message. Use updated anti-virus scanning software regularly to monitor your computer.
User names and profiles can provide a wealth of personal information - Ask your child about his or her online user name, profile, and downloading activities. Having too much information in user names and profiles can attract predators. Examples of dangerous user names are surfergirl15 or hiphopboy. Isafe suggests creating a family profile - not an individual profile for your child.
Know intellectual property and copyright regulations - Downloading music and movies is illegal and can result in lawsuits and heavy fines against parents. If your child is using file-sharing programs for downloading music, it can also open your computer to identity thieves by giving access to your personal information
Learn about the Internet - the more you know about how the Internet works, the more you can be informed about how online predators and identity thieves work and what you can do to stop them.
Rules for Kids:
Keep Safe: Keep your personal information safe! Never give your real name, address, phone number, the name of your school, or a picture of yourself to anyone online.
Keep Away: Internet strangers are dangerous - STAY AWAY. No matter what anyone tells you, NEVER meet anyone in person. You have not way of knowing who they really are. Don't talk with anyone online, and never tell them where you live.
Keep Telling: Tell your parents or a trusted adult about everything you see on the Internet. Always tell them when something makes you feel uncomfortable. Remember, not everything you see and hear on the Internet is true or even normal.
Taken from isafe.org 5963 La Place Ct. #309 Carlsbad, CA 92008
Useful Resources: The five sites below have a wealth of information for kids online.
FBI Kids
Stopbullying.gov offers many useful tips to stay safe online.
Cyberbullying Research This site will be of interest to those doing research on cyberbullying.
NET CETERA A free guide from OnGuardOnLine.gov with practical tips to help parents guide their kids to navigate the online world.
CommonSenseMedia visit this site for safety-tips-for-middle-school-kids.
Common Sense Media-YouTube reviews, educates, media for kids, families, and schools.
The four titles below are available in the school media center for checkout. The series author is David J. Jakubiak. Consult the: PAC (Public Access Catalog) for the call numbers.
A Smart Kids Guide to Social Networking Online
A Smart Kids Guide to Avoiding Online Predators
A Smart Kids Guide to Internet Privacy
A Smart Kids Guide to Internet Research
Be safe on the Internet.
Explore the following site http://www.netsmartz.org/Teens
The site has animated comic style characters who model safe online practices.
Rules for Parents:
Keep Current with technology. You don't have to be an expert, but a little understanding goes a long way towards keeping your child safer online get basic technical training and learn about new products as they are released.
Keep Communicating with your children about everything they experience on the internet. Learn their lingo, and ask them when you don't understand something. Keep your lines of communication open.
Keep Checking your children's internet activity. Know where they go online. Let them know that you'll keep checking because you love them, and you want them to understand that the Internet is a public forum and not private.
Other useful information for Parents:
Have the family computer in an open area - keep it out of the child's bedroom.
Become a part of your child's online experience - It can be a fun journey to explore the wonders of the internet as a family. As computer-savvy as kids and teens are today, they may even teach you a thing or two.
When using e-mail, beware of opening unsolicited attachments - Viruses, can be activated by unsuspecting e-mail users opening infected attachments to e-mail messages. Viruses can spoof the sender of the e-mail, making it look like someone you know sent the message. Use updated anti-virus scanning software regularly to monitor your computer.
User names and profiles can provide a wealth of personal information - Ask your child about his or her online user name, profile, and downloading activities. Having too much information in user names and profiles can attract predators. Examples of dangerous user names are surfergirl15 or hiphopboy. Isafe suggests creating a family profile - not an individual profile for your child.
Know intellectual property and copyright regulations - Downloading music and movies is illegal and can result in lawsuits and heavy fines against parents. If your child is using file-sharing programs for downloading music, it can also open your computer to identity thieves by giving access to your personal information
Learn about the Internet - the more you know about how the Internet works, the more you can be informed about how online predators and identity thieves work and what you can do to stop them.
Rules for Kids:
Keep Safe: Keep your personal information safe! Never give your real name, address, phone number, the name of your school, or a picture of yourself to anyone online.
Keep Away: Internet strangers are dangerous - STAY AWAY. No matter what anyone tells you, NEVER meet anyone in person. You have not way of knowing who they really are. Don't talk with anyone online, and never tell them where you live.
Keep Telling: Tell your parents or a trusted adult about everything you see on the Internet. Always tell them when something makes you feel uncomfortable. Remember, not everything you see and hear on the Internet is true or even normal.
Taken from isafe.org 5963 La Place Ct. #309 Carlsbad, CA 92008
Useful Resources: The five sites below have a wealth of information for kids online.
FBI Kids
Stopbullying.gov offers many useful tips to stay safe online.
Cyberbullying Research This site will be of interest to those doing research on cyberbullying.
NET CETERA A free guide from OnGuardOnLine.gov with practical tips to help parents guide their kids to navigate the online world.
CommonSenseMedia visit this site for safety-tips-for-middle-school-kids.
Common Sense Media-YouTube reviews, educates, media for kids, families, and schools.
The four titles below are available in the school media center for checkout. The series author is David J. Jakubiak. Consult the: PAC (Public Access Catalog) for the call numbers.
A Smart Kids Guide to Social Networking Online
A Smart Kids Guide to Avoiding Online Predators
A Smart Kids Guide to Internet Privacy
A Smart Kids Guide to Internet Research