Internet Safety Tips

Tips to prevent Children and Families from Cyberspace Dangers

1.

Before you allow your child to go online without your supervision you should do the following:

	Establish a set of rules and guidelines on which you can all agree. Include time limits for using the Internet. If you are not sure where to start, ask a knowledgeable friend or relative, or check the website of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). http://www.itu.int/osg/csd/cybersecurity/gca/cop/children.htm
	Children’s computers should be in a common area such as the living room or dining room to allow you to monitor them occasionally.
	Computers should never be placed in a child’s bedroom locked away from the view of parent or guardian.
	Identify content-rich websites that are safe and reliable and make them accessible either by creating shortcuts or book-marking them.

2.

Ensure that your computer has

An up-to-date anti-virus, anti-spy ware and firewall installed;

Filtering software to block potentially harmful websites. Filtering software prevents your children from visiting areas of the internet you deem inappropriate.

Free software is available from sites such as:

	www.cnet.com
	www.download.com

However you should verify the authenticity and validity before installing any of these on your computer.

3.

Emphasize to your children that:

	They should never ever reveal personal information online such as their name, address, fixed or mobile telephone number, school, and even the names of teams or clubs to which they belong.
	They should not send inappropriate photographs of themselves or damaging information by email which could negatively affect them in the future.
	They should not arrange “face to face” meetings with someone over the internet without parental permission.
	They should not respond to messages that are suggestive, obscene, threatening or make them feel uncomfortable.
	Chatting with people you don’t know is a very risky activity as pedophiles could pretend to be a 12 year old boy on-line and may in real life be a 44 year old man!
	They should avoid the use of webcams.

4.

Become one of your child’s online friends:

	If your child is part of any social networking group e.g. Facebook, Myspace, High5 or Twitter; add yourself as a friend so that you can monitor what your child is doing online.
	Ensure that you have all their usernames and passwords, so that you can monitor their emails and activity on these social networking sites.

5.

Learn the warning signs that your child maybe a target of an online predator. These include:

	Your child spending long hours online, particularly at night.
	Telephone bills recording overseas calls from people you don’t know.
	Unsolicited gifts arriving in the mail.
	Your child minimizing screens when you come close to the computer.
	Withdrawal from family activities.
	Increase in scanning photographs, copying CDs and DVDs.
	Hesitance to allow you to see what is on the screen.

6.

Always remember to:

	Educate yourself and your children about the dangers in Cyberspace.
	Contact the police if your child has received pornographic material via the Internet or if you suspect he/she has been the target of an online sex predator.
	Obtain information from websites recommended by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) through its Child Online Protection Programme.

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Internet Safety Tip 1 - Audio

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