CyberSpace is a REAL Location

You wouldn't allow your children to go to another country with no map, a huge party without a chaperon, on a date with someone neither your nor they know, or a classroom that teaches unknown information or morals. Cyberspace is all of these things and more. If you are careful about your children in the environments that you are familiar with, you should be even more careful with this uncharted, unknown environment. There are wonderful experiences and information on the Internet, but there is a dark side as well and it is much more accessible to your children than you may realize. Learn what you need to learn to feel comfortable making rules about your child's participation in cyberspace. Go to a parent class offered in Georgia through the Community Education Program, take online classes, and sit with your child when on the Internet. Just don't send your child who is vulnerable to the influences that are online out into cyberspace alone and without guidance.

Some of the most important tips to immediately initiate in your home follow:

1. Only allow internet access (browsing, chat rooms, IM, email) in a common room of the house, whether using a computer or other device. There are several reasons for this. The child is less likely to visit sites that are offensive if you or others in the family are nearby and can view what is on the screen. Predators often ask the child where they are in their home. If a child is in a private room, like the bedroom, the predator takes advantage of the privacy and more freely discusses sexual content and personal details with your child. In addition, predators often use graphics to lower the child's inhibitions, including web cams and photographs. Predators often are able to convince your child to share such graphics as well.
2. Develop and maintain good communication and develop an open relationship with your child. A close family that spends quality times together, such as mealtimes, is one of the best deterrents to the deceptions online. Most importantly, give your child the benefit of the doubt. If your child is lured by information or persons online, or accidentally stumbles onto distasteful sites, your child should feel free to confide in you and know that you will not overreact. You must be able to help your child rather than condemn, and then develop strategies that will keep your child safer in the future.
3. Establish rules that suit your home and values regarding cyberspace, just as you do for other aspects of your family life. If you require your child to be polite to other people, require that your child use netiquette online as well. If you don't allow your child to go alone to a mall or a party at someone home that you don't know, then don't allow your child to go to chat rooms. If you want to know the friends that your child talks to on the phone, then make it a rule that you must know the friends on your child's buddy list for instant messaging. It takes courage to approach some of these issues, but cyberspace is just as real as the physical world that you already have rules for and you must also guide your children in this part of their lives.
4. Consider technology solutions to assist you in establishing a cybersafe environment in your home. See Parent Resources for sites that explain and review filters, firewalls, monitors, and Internet Service Providers.

CyberSafety Tips for Parents

NetFamilyNews: If you want to stay ahead of the trends, subscribe to this newsletter. This is a highly recommended source for cybersafety information for parents.

Georgia Family Council: Parent's Internet Guide in .pdf format. This is the guide that the Georgia Community Internet Safety Program distributes and includes excellent information and tips for parents.

NetSmarz411: While online computer exploration opens a world of possibilities for young people, expanding their horizons and exposing them to different cultures and ways of life, they can be exposed to dangers as they explore the information highway. This site includes a list of helpful tips to protect your family.

Cybersafety: By taking responsibility for your children's online computer use, parents can greatly minimize any potential risks of being online. This site includes family rules to use for online safety.

CyberSafety Information

NetSmartz:NetSmartz® is an interactive, educational safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for children (ages 5-17), parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement that uses age-appropriate, 3-D activities to teach children how to stay safer on the Internet. The NetSmartz® Workshop can be accessed at www.NetSmartz.org.

BeSafeOnline: The Internet is fantastic, but there are risks. Your involvement is essential. This site provides the tools you need to help keep your kids safe online.

ParentsCentre: This site from the UK helps you deal with Internet safety issues like online pedophiles, pornography, bullying, unsolicited e-mails or other problems like those associated with copyright, and homework. It also offers support and advice on health and safety , the importance of privacy, safe shopping and guidance on how you and your family can develop your own family code to support a positive Internet experience.

NetSafeKids: This site offers parents background information on topics involving Internet guidance and safety - from understanding the maturity level of a child to tips on screening and monitoring content to dealing with an incident of exposure to pornography or predation. It provides guidelines on tailoring your children's Internet activities based on their ages, even as young as 2 years of age.

NetAlert Advice Center: Internet safety advice from Australia's NetAlert. Find solutions via their Internet safety guides, Internet safety newsletters, Internet safety links, Internet safety helpline and Internet safety downloads.

Net-Mom: This site includes reviews of websites, articles and a newsletter by the Net-mom.

WiredKids: Whether you are looking for safe sites, or tips about where kids post personal information without realizing it, whether you are seeking a place for your kids to be able to learn about online safety and responsible surfing or looking for a safe chat environment, you can find it here.

WiredKids Contract : This page has an Interactive Contract with a parental cheat sheet that has some key discussion points and questions for your kids.

GetNetWise: The web site is aggregated into four content areas - Keeping Children Safe Online, Stopping Unwanted E-mail and Spam, Protecting Your Computer from Hackers and Viruses, and Keeping Your Personal Information Private.

Quotes and descriptions taken directly from websites are indicated by italics.