Internet safety for children

Most children today have access to the Internet either from school or from their home. There is no denying the benefits of the Internet and the positive impact it has increasingly had on education in recent years; online encyclopaedias, dictionaries, and other reference guides are consulted on a daily basis, and chatrooms allow children to meet others from around the world. Unfortunately, the Internet can make it very easy for unauthorised persons to tap into a child's world. Awareness of the potential dangers and problems can be your best defence against criminal repercussions.
 
The following list offers a few tips and suggestions concerning online safety. Take some time to talk about safety issues with your children or students and discuss the measures that should be taken to help ward off undesired side effects of Internet surfing.
 
Safety note to parents and teachers

  • Talk to your children. Create an environment in which they feel comfortable to share negative (and positive) experiences they have using the Internet.
  • Monitor children's online activity. Keep the computer in a room where you can discreetly monitor children.
  • Tell your children about the potential dangers of disclosing personal information.
  • Never disclose any personal information about yourself or your family online. Your home or work address and your children's school name, for example, can be revealing pieces of personal information, which you wouldn't want falling into the wrong hands.
  • Set up Internet rules (surf time, sites permitted for viewing, safety precautions etc.) for your child and discuss why these rules are necessary.
  • Become more familiar with computers and Internet jargon so you can understand your children's online activities and can discuss issues with them.
  • It is possible to install control tools that are available from online services and software manufacturers. This software filters and blocks URLs that contain offensive, pornographic terms and other words specified by parents. They also prevent children from innocently disclosing personal information online without parental permission. However, these control tools should not be viewed as substitutes for adult supervision. They are not able to block all offensive material and sometimes even prevent educational information from reaching your child.

 
There are a number of safe, interesting, and fun sites for kids. Here are just a few: