The title of this post is a rhetorical question really; as humans we will not always achieve what we set out to achieve however hard we try. I have a young son who has just started primary school, he is getting to the stage where he understands how search engines works and can now search for, find and visit a few of his favourite websites – although he spends most of his time on Google maps following the train lines around the country. As I work in the field of internet safety I am already thinking about how I am going to need to educate him (and myself) in order to reduce the risks he faces whilst using the internet. I know now that I cannot protect him completely as he will always find a way to do what he wants to do but I do know that if I make every effort to help him understand the risks then it will ensure that he is safer. Once a child is 8 or 9 years old then the internet will become an essential tool for them in terms of research for school work but also socially; children now communicate with their friends using mobiles and social media and whilst this obviously has a fun and harmless side it is also where dangers come into play. Unfortunately child predators use social networks for the purposes of finding and grooming kids. Social networks are places that they can easily and anonymously set up fake profiles in order to start conversations with kids with the eventual aim of an in person meeting. According to some recent research* 63% of parents said that their children use social networking sites. In addition 29% of parents worry about the risk to their kids of using social networks and also 22% are worried about their child interacting with an online sexual child predator. More than half of parents feel that their child shares too much personal information online and 37% state that their child spends between one and two hours online every day. So, we know from the news that there is a clear risk out there and without education your kids are vulnerable to that risk, so, what can we do as parents to keep our kids safe online? Firstly, personal information: make it clear to your kids that they should not be giving out personal information such as their phone number or address anywhere online, ask them to let you know immediately if someone does ask them for their personal details so that you can check up on who it is, chances are that close friends will already know your address and phone number. It is also important to advise your children not to put any images of themselves online, most teenagers do this so it is difficult to stop your child when “all my friends are doing it” but make every effort to prevent your kids doing this until they are 15 or 16. You need to manage your child’s understanding of the risks depending on their age, but for all kids it may be a good idea to spell out that if they post their photo online alongside location information such as their school or town name then it makes them easy to find physically by anyone and everyone. You should set clear rules around internet use and include specific rules on the use of social nework sites: Here are a few suggestions of things to agree: 1. Your child’s profile remains private. 2. There is a set time limit each day for using social networking sites. 3. If they are ever contacted by anyone that they have never met in person, whatever the circumstances, that they show you who they are for you to vet. 4. They never disclose any personal contact information on sites to anyone at anytime. 5. That you are in the room when they use live chat Web history is very easy to clear so do not rely on simply checking your child’s browsing history as your kids are likely to be just as net savvy, and probably far more net savvy than you! Another thing to agree with your child is that if they do form a relationship with somebody online that they trust and who they want to meet in person, is that you are to go along too. This is probably the most important point as if anything untoward is going to happen then this is the time that it will so ensure your children are especially clear on this rule. These are some basic rules that should help you to protect your child online; the main goal is mutual trust with your children; they need to understand that the risks are real and that it is not just you being an over-bearing paranoid parent. There is also the option of using an internet child safety product such as CYBERminder so that you can rule out the possibility of your children coming into any danger. * Spectorsoft
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Once a child is 8 or 9 years old then the internet will become an essential tool for them in terms of research for school work but also socially; children now communicate with their friends using mobiles and social media and whilst this obviously has a fun and harmless side it is also where dangers come into play.
http://www.superviseandprotect.com/News/IntheNews/tabid/382/ArticleId/30/Is-it-possible-to-keep-your-child-safe-online.aspx
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