Learn how to keep your children safe on the Internet.

So many parents say “my child would never meet anyone from the Internet” ….yet the reality is that so many kids are looking for something more … someone more … more love … more attention … and when a stranger tells them how wonderful they are and how happy they can make them feel … don’t be fooled! Your kids will believe them. No matter what background or upbringing you have given your child they will always believe what they are being told.

I think its important that we make parents and children realize just how dangerous surfing the internet and talking to strangers can actually be. Im going to give you a few FACTS on Internet Safety, and i might make parents and children understand things that little bit more.

When kids use the Internet the educational advantages are endless. The Internet is used by schools, universities, libraries, businesses and more. The Internet is a virtual encyclopedia. And you don’t have to be a computer geek to use the Internet. It is incredibly easy. Use it for homework, communicating with friends, games, shopping and even business. The internet gives great benefits to everyone … most of all children. And with all of its advantages, it has disadvantages which can create dangers for children.

It is critical that every parent and every childcare giver knows everything there is to know about the Internet and the possible hazards it creates for children. And most importantly ‘How to deal with them’.

One of the first steps is the time in which you allow your children to be on the Internet. Too much time or too little time is subjective. Only you will know for sure and each child is different. Some kids really use the computer for studying, emailing their friends and playing games, while others spend hours surfing, going into chat rooms and even going into adult web sites that are not appropriate for children.

If your child tends to research homework, they can spend hours on the Internet and if they are seriously into games and chatrooms they can spend days on the Internet. Kids are great at switching from one screen to another, making it difficult for you to know what they’re really doing. Once you know the facts and rules, and your child’s needs on the Internet, you will create your own timeline as to how long your child will spend on it. However, when children spend too much time on the computer they can tend to neglect their studies, chores and social activities. It is very easy for children to They may also run up heavy telephone bills.

So how do we as parents know what are children are exactly doing on the Internet? Firstly we must understand that kids are very curious about a variety of subjects. Often they will use the Internet to view material that is only appropriate for adults.

Although you want to respect their privacy, you need to know what they do with their time every day … especially on the Internet. Learn how your kids surf the Web. Sit down with them and ask them to show you the sites they surf. Get familiar with their patterns of use and time spent online. Learn the potential threats that they can be exposed to and look for changes in behavior. Remember that many mobile phones now offer Internet access.

Then we have he E-mails and Chatrooms. All children love sending and receiving emails, instant messaging and the interaction in chatrooms. Be sure you know who they’re sending emails to and who they’re getting emails from. And be sure you know if they’re visiting chatrooms, which ones, and what goes on in those chatrooms.

Chatrooms can be misused. There isn’t a chatroom on the Internet where you won’t find at least one adult sexual predator. It’s a fact of life. They masquerade as kids and teens and make indecent proposals … often luring children and teens to meet them. These meetings are set up for one reason — to harm children and teens.

Kids and teens need to know that unless they absolutely know the person they are communicating with over the Internet, not to accept everything a person says online at face value. They must understand the online danger they could be in and should be alert.

Web addresses can also be quite tricky we have all mistyped addresses into web browsers and search engines. And our children can too. That mistake can bring us to sites we do not mean to visit. Stress to your children the importance of typing correct addresses. Discuss rules about ending up on sites that are not appropriate.

Communication is the key role between Parents and there Children whilst they are using the Internet, if there is a breakdown of communication you are more likely to run into problems. Communicate openly with your child about what they do online. By having an open relationship with your children, you can discuss a range of issues such as the kinds of materials, situations, or people they may mistakenly come across. Keep talks low-key and and discuss all of the situations that could happen on the Internet.

Be honest, open and comfortable. The more comfortable you are, the more comfortable your child will feel. Openly explain that emailing personal information about themselves to a strange adult on the Internet, or viewing sexually explicit or adult oriented materials that are not appropriate and what can happen. By being open and honest, your child won’t feel as though they’ve done something wrong. They should never be afraid of telling you they’ve visited or emailed someone from these sites.

By discussing these things before they happen, you can prevent your child from being a story in the media.

So how do we react when we do find any record of inapropriate conversations or pornographic photos? Well firstly ‘DONT PANIC’ i know its easier said than done bu you must remain calm, simply talk calmly to your child about your concerns. If you fear your child is truly in trouble or at risk, then seek help. But always ask your child first, hear what they have to say.

There are a few signs that your child is being abused online and they are….
- If your child becomes secretive about their time online
- Uses computers other than their own such as at homes of friends, Internet cafes,or  libraries
- Uses encryption software
- Downloads files onto discs where you cannot see information
- Displays changes in behaviour or acts out sexually
- Becomes withdrawn and loses self-esteem
- If your phone bill or child’s mobilel phone bill is unusually high
- You see unfamiliar phone numbers on your bill (800 numbers do not appear on all phone bills)
- Your child disappears while talking on their mobile phone

Note: Kids may hesitate to give out their home numbers but will almost always give out their mobilel phone numbers. Peadophiles will call and send text messages directly to children.

We can insure better safety for our children by taking safety measures. Kids are very computer savvy and can pretty much figure out protective software, security measures, password changes, etc.

If you have computer passwords and PIN numbers, measures should be taken to protect those at all costs.

Sometimes protective software can be disabled. Be sure that it isn’t switched off. Check that security systems and additional internet accounts have not been added to your computer and that previously installed software hasn’t been blocked or diverted.

Another problem children suffer whilst online is ‘SPAM’ Spam is unsolicited email. It can be annoying and sometimes offensive. Parents should discuss with their kids who they are sending and receiving emails from.

One of the best ways to deal with spam is to not open it and delete it.

Check out merchants privacy policies when purchasing something over the web. When in chat rooms, your child should not allow their personal profile to be published and should not give out their email address … nor should they ever allow email addresses to be posted on any web site. They should remain as anonymous as possible.

If you have younger children, set up a list of people they can send and receive emails from and block the rest. Ask your Internet Service Provider how to do this.

Firewall and anti-spam software programs are other ways to keep out unwanted emails and spam. You can also set up a spam email address in addition to your regular email address. Give those close to you your private email address and all others the spam email address.

These are just a few Internet Safety Guidelines, i think that as long as you are following these simple steps you and your family can happily enjoy surfing the Internet. However i must say ‘NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN’. by this i mean, dont think that because your child has used the Internet and experienced no problems that they can now surf unattended, you should continue the monitoring all the time. Never allow your child online if you think that your child is too immature or if they are too naive, paedophiles pick up on this very quickly, quicker than what you can believe…So please please look after your children on the Internet and stop these terrible stories appearing on our TV screens and in our Newspapers.

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