Keeping your children safe online

Thanks to the growth of the Internet and our increasing dependance on it, millions of people from all over the world now have access to each other. Thousands of chat rooms, social networking sites, and internet forums make this connection a virtual reality. Unfortunately, there can be a dark side to such simple and powerful social interaction that can leave children particularly vulnerable if they aren’t aware and protected against it.

One solution is for parents to regulate their children’s access to the Internet using features built into many computers. For example, Microsoft Windows has a user account facility and sepcific parental control options in which a child can be included and their use of the web limited to certain times or hours of use.  Windows 7 offers web filtering with more restrictions available by downloading additional free software. All it takes is a few minutres ticking some boxes and applying the required options to protect your childrens from most of the online dangers they could face otherwise.

Another way is the Internet security feature usually found within the Internet options in Windows. If a web site is accidentally visited and it contains explicit material that isn’t suitable for children, a warning is displayed. This feature can be adjusted accordingly, from high security to low, with custom settings a possibility as well.

It’s easy to say that this can be avoided if you, as a parent, completely disallow your child to use the Internet. However, you also don’t want to deprive your children of the technology and opportunity that is on offer to their generation. That is why educating your children about the dangers of the Internet, without scaring them of course, is essential. If you can teach them the benefits of using the Internet while making them aware of the potential dangers, they can get the most from the wonders of the web safely.

One of the biggest potential danger areas is when children use chat rooms and social networking sites to interact with others. However, the anonymity of the web makes it difficult to tell if those you are chatting with who claim to be a 15 year old girl are who they say they are! This is one reason why teaching and training a child is important. Tell your child never to give out personal information, no matter how subtle it may be. Tell your child never to give a photo of himself or of his family and friends. It may be all right to meet new friends online, but tell your child never to go out and personally meet these so-called new friends without asking you to accompany him.

You can find further information about child internet safety at http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/.

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