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The Internet
can be a powerful educational tool and a way for children to connect with people
around the world. With the click of the mouse, children can see sloths in their
rainforest habitat, work together with fourth graders in Sweden on a classroom
project, or search online encyclopedias, dictionaries and libraries all over the
world. Yet it can also bring them into close contact with inappropriate images
and information and can be a potential source of exploitation. Here are some
suggestions that you can use to help make sure your child’s journey through
cyberspace is enriching and safe:
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Develop some
family rules on computer and Internet use and post them in a visible
place. These might include such reminders as: the time of day and length
of time your children can use the computer; not to give out personal
information (such as home address, telephone number, parent’s work
address or telephone number, the name and location of school, or
photographs) without parental permission; not to respond to e-mail from
strangers; to never agree to get together with someone met online; to tell
parents right away about information that makes your child feel
uncomfortable; not to download anything from an unknown person.
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Look into
blocking software or filters. All of the major online services provide
programs that parents can use to limit their children’s access to
information on the Internet. Also available is web-filtering software that
blocks access to sites that contain language or content that the user
designates as off-limits.
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Place the
computer that your children use in a common area of your home.
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Be in or around
the room where your computer is located when your children are using the
Internet alone. This will allow you to provide guidance and to
occasionally check on what they are viewing.
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Surf the Net
along with your children and visit their favorite sites or chat rooms.
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Have your
children use child-friendly search engines when looking up a topic or
doing homework.
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Bookmark your
children’s favorite websites to provide easy access.
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Make sure your
children are only exchanging e-mail with people you and they know.
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Make sure that
your children only use chat areas that you have previewed and supervised.
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Be aware of
other computers your children may be using. If they are in the homes of
friends, talk with their parents about their family rules on computer and
Internet use.
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Internet
accounts should be in the parent’s name with parents having the primary
screen name and controlling passwords, blocking and filtering devices.
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Children should
not complete a profile for a service provider. If using a chat room,
children’s screen names should be nondescript so as not to identify them
as children.
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If you suspect
online "stalking" or sexual exploitation, report it to the
police. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (www.missingkids.com)
has a system for identifying online predators and child pornographers and
provides information to law enforcement investigations.
Internet
resources for parents
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www.cybersavvy.org
The Direct Marketing Association offers information for parents on how to talk
to children about protecting their privacy online.
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www.getnetwise.com
This site is a resource for parents to educate themselves and their children
about how to use the Internet safely. It provides information on filtering
software and recommends safe sites for children of all ages.
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www.icra.org
This site of the Internet Content Rating Association contains information and
downloads on the content rating system.
Kid-friendly
search engines
Some search engines
are specifically geared toward kid-friendly material. Others filter out sites
that parents would likely consider objectionable or inappropriate for children.
A partial list of such search engines includes:
>
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For
permission to reprint this article, please contact the
Capital Region BOCES Communications Service at (518)
464-3960.
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