As much as people have tried to resist giving their children access to the internet, it seems resistance is futile. The internet is being used more and more frequently for school work, socializing and many other countless avenues. Even if your family has no internet access at their home, your child may likely encounter the internet at a friend’s home.
No matter what rules are laid down for internet safety, parents need to be pro active in making sure the rules are followed. Find out what kind of internet access is available at the houses where your kids may spend their time. In your own home it is easy to check the history of sites visited. There are programs available that are so sophisticated they can record every keystroke on the computer. It is up to each parent to decide what level of monitoring they need for their home.
It is a good idea to have any computer in a highly visible area. No child should have access to the internet in the privacy of their room. The computer should be where at any time a parent can look over the child’s shoulder and see exactly what activity is being conducted.
Chat rooms and social networking sites are the sites where most predators lurk. Be certain there is no personal information posted and it is a good idea to monitor pictures if you decide to allow those to be posted. Many social network sites such as Facebook have privacy tool s that parents should definitely take advantage of.
The internet can be a great tool for research and social networking if used safely and appropriately. Be sure your kids are using it wisely!