Keeping Your Kids Safe Online

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Predator Tip Sheet (click here for PDF)

Eluding Internet Predators

One in five children who use computer chat rooms has been approached over the Internet by a pedophile.

Only one in four youth who received a sexual solicitation reported the incident to an adult.


i-SAFE Inc. has created this list of tips and reminders that can be used to help recognize these potentially hazardous situations and to respond appropriately.


• Keep user names and profiles generic and anonymous.
Discuss your child’s online screen name, profile, and activities. Many provide too much personal information.
Ensure all screen names and profiles are nonspecific.

• Avoid posting personal photos online.
Pictures can be altered to embarrass or humiliate. hey also provide personal information that can help an Internet
predator act familiar by pretending to know you, your children, and/or their friends.

• Always keep private information private.
With just three pieces of personal information, specialized Internet search engines can be used to locate someone
anywhere. Internet conversations should never include any personal information.

• Place the family computer in an open area.
A responsible adult should always accompany minors while they access the Internet to provide support and direc-
tion should they be confronted with an aggressive solicitation or inappropriate materials.

• Remind children that online “friends” are still strangers.
Predators trick their victims into believing that they have similar interests and groom children to desire a more
intimate relationship. he reality is that online friends are still strangers, and your child can never be sure that the
person is who he or she says.

• Respect children’s privacy.
Respect your child’s privacy, but make certain he or she knows everyone on his or her e-mail or instant messenger
“Buddy” list. Work to generate parent and child trust that supports open and honest Internet use.

• Become a part of your child’s online experience.
It can be a fun journey to explore the wonders of the Internet as a family. As computer-savvy as kids and teens are
today, they will certainly teach you a thing or two!

• Be aware of phone calls or mail deliveries from unfamiliar persons.
Predators often call or send gifts to their potential victims in their process of grooming.

• Learn about the Internet.
he more you know about how the Internet works, the better prepared you are to teach your children about how
online predators operate and what you can do together to identify and elude them.

• Get involved with i-SAFE Inc.
Raise Internet safety awareness by joining, creating, or supporting an i-PARENT Board in your school or commu-
nity, and informing other parents what they can do to keep their families safe online.

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Children can learn a lot from the Internet--and they can also pretty quickly run into trouble, if they're not careful. You parents out there are no doubt already grappling with the challenges of watching where your kids go online and what they see and do.

CNET's guide to keeping your kids safe online

CNET's Living with Technology feature "Keep your kids safe online" can help you prepare them, and yourselves, for these new rites of passage. This online safety guide features a number of articles, videos and do-it-yourself tips, along with forums where you can post questions and provide answers to your peers. It's designed to be a site you can bookmark and check back with regularly.


Here are links to the main page of the feature and to a few of its highlights:

Main page: Keep your kids safe online

Article: Developing safe and smart Internet citizens

Article: Parental controls that keep tabs on young Web surfers

Do-it-yourself: Top 5 Internet dangers for kids: A resource guide

Feedback: Readers address online safety for kids

[Cheba_Mami]

I hope many people can use these good tips. Childprotection on the internet is very important, also teenagers and even 18+ kids can get involved with crazy people with other intentions, be aware of that too. They often think they can see the difference between right and wrong.