Internet Safety tips for parent
As much as
we cannot completely prevent our kids from surfing or learning online as it
helps them with their assignment and enhances their exposure to today’s world. It
is becoming a thing of worry for parents these days especially on the stuffs
children pick online exposing them to immoral scenes and the likes. I strongly
believe that before this gets out of proportion we have to start tackling the threat
now to avoid jeopardizing the future of these innocent ones.
You’ve got
friends in the hundreds on Facebook, follow Stephen Fry on Twitter and use the
iPlayer to catch up on last weekend’s telly.
But even if
you think you’re “down with the kids” you probably still don’t know as much as
they do about the Internet.
And this
glaring fact is leaving many thousands of children open to abuse.
A new survey
reveals that, while around 80 per cent of British five to 15-year-olds are
online every day, nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of parents fail to set
adequate online controls to keep them safe.
The MORI
poll, commissioned by the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
(CEOP), suggests parents’ confusion about the new technologies is a major
obstacle to proper understanding of the sites their children are visiting.
The boom in
social networking, instant messaging and gaming means the digital world is
changing at an ever faster pace. And with cyber-bullying on the rise, along
with Internet grooming, Internet addiction, hacking and more, young users are
exposed to all manner of online attacks.
So, for
European Safer Internet Day (February 7), the CEOP Centre is urging parents to
get properly involved in their children’s online life – with a special website Thinkuknow
set up to steer adults through the maze of technology their children may be
using.
Advice
includes adapting Facebook privacy settings, checking sites and games are
age-appropriate, blocking or reporting contacts in IM (Instant Messaging),
addressing the issue of online pornography and teaching kids how to control the
information they share with others.
There is
also a series of films for children aged from five to 16, guiding them through
their use of online technologies and teaching them how to respond if something
goes wrong or they feel concerned.
As the
website notes: “The internet has changed all of our lives, and your child has
grown up during this change. Many of the things that confuse, baffle or even
scare us, are part of the everyday for them. For many of us, this can all be a
bit too much.
“Whether
you’re a technophobe or a technophile, it’s still likely that you’ll be playing
catch-up with the way your child is using the Internet.”
CEOP Centre
chief executive and senior police officer Peter Davies says: “Technology has
transformed people’s lives both collectively and individually. It has changed
how we communicate and socialise and children and young people are at the
forefront – the real Internet pioneers. For them it provides immense
opportunity and excitement.
“But too
often we see examples of where the child is at risk because they make simple
online mistakes. We all have a role to play and today I want to encourage
parents to engage with their child to help avoid these risks.”
Among the
top tips laid out are:
Be involved
For young
people today there is no division between online and offline – they use the
Internet to socialise and learn. Just as you are there for them offline, you
should give support online too. Talk to your kids about what they are doing and
show you understand – they will then be more likely to approach you if they
need help or advice.
Stay up-to-date
Be curious
and interested in the new gadgets and sites your child uses. As the CEOP Centre
cautions: “It’s important that as your child learns more, so do you.”
Set boundaries
There should
be boundaries in the online world as much as in the real world: which sites
they can visit, who they can communicate with, and when and how, for instance.
These rules will change and adapt as they grow and use new technologies.
Know how they are connected to the Internet
These days
it’s not just a computer that connects to the Internet: your child’s phone or
games console can, too. Make sure you monitor their use of all their devices
and check how they are going online: is it your connection, where you may have
placed controls, or a neighbour’s Wifi, which lacks safety settings?
Set the controls
Use parental
controls on the TV, computers, games consoles and mobile phones to lock and
block dangerous sites and help you steer your child through the appropriate
boundaries. Your service provider (eg Sky, Vodafone, Virgin etc) will be able
to help you with this.
Remind them not to speak to strangers
Just as you
caution small children not to go off with strangers, you should remind your
kids that not everyone online is who they say they are. Make sure they never
meet up with someone they only know online, or at least never without a trusted
adult to accompany them.
A CEOP
spokesman adds: “The risks that children face may have changed but basic
parenting skills remain the same.”
