Children And Internet Safety

Who are your children chatting with or e-mailing? What are they doing when they are online? What websites are they looking at online?

Here’s some easy tips to all those weary parents out there concerned about keeping their children safe while surfing the web.

Harmful and inappropriate material can come from just about everywhere on the Internet, in an e-mail or instant message, through accidentally finding a pornographic website, in chatrooms, bulletin boards, or news groups.  You know, you’ve accidentally done it many times just as I have.

There are actually more serious problems that can occur. Children may be solicited online in regards to sex. This may occur in seemingly safe situations. For example, your son or daughter might enjoy playing chess online at one of many gaming web sites. In most of these games it is possible to type conversation while playing the game. This conversation may begin innocently and then proceed over a day or weeks into sexual topics.

So is this all media hype or are there real instances happening out there? Unfortunately, there are real dangers on the Internet.  It's important to tell your children the plain truth about dangers online. This is no different than telling them that they can't play in the street or can't stay out all night.

Other suggestions are to locate computers in a common room such as the den, a playroom or the parent's bedroom rather than in a child's bedroom. Children will be less likely to seek out inappropriate information and parents can more easily monitor the website they are visiting. It is also very important to talk with your children about possible dangers on the web. Let them know what dangers are out there and to come to you if they are having a problem.

Also, take an interest in what they do when they are online. Open communication will not only help in this situation, but can help grow communication between you and your child for the future.

Michele White