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Getting Started
Explain that although a person may be alone in a room using the computer,
once logged on to the Internet, he or she is no longer alone. People skilled in
using the Internet can find out who you are and where you are. They can even tap
into information in your computer.
Set aside time to explore the Internet together. If your child has some
computer experience, let him or her take the lead. Visit areas of the World Wide
Web that have special sites for children.
Controlling Access
The best tool a child has for screening material found on the Internet
is his or her brain. Teach children about exploitation, pornography, hate
literature, excessive violence, and other issues that concern you, so they know
how to respond when they see this material.
You can choose a commercial online service that offers parental control
features. These features can block contact that is not clearly marked as
appropriate for children; chat rooms, bulletin boards, news groups, and
discussion groups; or access to the Internet entirely.
You can purchase blocking software and design your own safety system.
Different packages can block sites by name, search for unacceptable words and
block access to sites containing those words, block entire categories of
material, and prevent children from giving out personal information.
Monitor your children when they're online and monitor the time they spend
online. If a child becomes uneasy or defensive when you walk into the room or
when you linger, this could be a sign that he or she is up to something unusual
or even forbidden.
Tell Your Child...
Always to let you know immediately if they find something scary or
threatening on the Internet.
Never to give out their name, address, telephone number, password, school
name, parent's name, or any other personal information.
Never to agree to meet face to face with someone they've met online.
Never to respond to messages that have bad words or seem scary or just weird.
Never to enter an area that charges for services without asking you first
Never to send a picture of themselves to anyone without your permission
What You Can Do In the Community
Make sure that access to the Internet at your child's school is monitored by
adults.
Know your child's friends and their parents. If your child's friend has
Internet access at home, talk to the parents about the rules they have
established. Find out if the children are monitored while they are online.
Make sure that your child's school has an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP). This
policy should include a list of acceptable and unacceptable activities or
resources, information on "netiquette" (etiquette on the Internet),
consequences for violations, and a place for you and your child to sign. Your
family can design its own AUP for the home computer.
If your child receives threatening e- mails or pornographic material, save
the offensive material and contact that user's Internet service provider and
your local law enforcement agency.
If you come across sites that are inappropriate for children when you are
surfing the Net, send the addresses to online services that offer parental
control features or to sites advertising protection software to add to their
list to be reviewed for inclusion or exclusion. Even if you don't subscribe to
the service or own the protection software, you can help protect other children.
Resources
The Children's Partnership
www.childrenspartnership.org
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
www.ncmec.org
National PTA
www.pta.org
National School Boards Association
www.nsba.org
U.S. Department of Education (see their Parents
Guide to the Internet)
www.ed.gov
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