10 Internet Safety Tips for Families

You set a curfew when children your kids go out, you should also set ground rules for online activities. According to a survey by the Media Awareness Network, 38 per cent of young people say that their parents know nothing or very little about their online activities.

There are a number of ways to keep curious children out of harms way while enjoying the Internet. Here are ten tips for making the Internet a safe place:

1. Encourage your kids to share their Internet experiences with you.
2. Teach your kids to trust their instincts. If they feel nervous about anything they see or hear online, they should tell you about it.
3. If your kids visit chat rooms, use Instant Messaging (IM) programs, online video games or other activities on the Internet that require logging in by name to identify themselves, help them choose a login name and make sure it doesn’t reveal any personal information about them.
4. Insist that your kids never give out your family’s address, phone number or any personal information, including where they go to school.
5. Teach your kids that the difference between right and wrong is the same on the Internet as it is in real life.
6. Teach your kids how to respect others online. Make it clear that rules for good behaviour don’t change just because they’re on a computer.
7. Insist that your kids respect the property of others online. Explain that making illegal copies of other people’s work — music, video games or other programs — is a form of theft, plain and simple.
8. Tell your kids to never meet online “friends” in person. Those “friends” may not be who they say claim to be.
9. Teach your kids that not everything they read or see online is true. Encourage them to ask you if they’re not sure about something they see or hear.
10. Control your children’s online activity using advanced Internet software. Parental controls can help you filter out harmful content, monitor the sites your child visits and find out what they do there.