Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Online Safety For Kids-What You Should Be Doing

By Carlos Montebello Xavier


Watching your children every minute they are online is not the only way to keep them safe. Is there a way to not watch them all the time, but still protect them? Ideally you want to be able to trust your kids and be confident that they have enough common sense to avoid trouble. However, you also have to provide some guidance at times. When your children are on the internet, they need some freedom, and the following tips will show you how, while still protecting them.

Looking at the Internet all alone is a way for children to look at websites that they shouldn't look at. The Internet is a place that you go individually on your computer, and you don't necessarily like someone watching you, and children are no different, but with some of the bad places you find there, children need to be monitored. Any place that they whole family uses, is a good location for the computer that the younger children are able to use, with or without supervision. Children like spending a lot of time in their own rooms, especially when online, but it is not a very good idea. It is important as a parent to have some idea what sites your young children are visiting, and who they are talking with.

While many kids are approached by potential predators online, in most cases nothing comes of it, as long as the child knows enough not to respond. Yet, you should be alert to any warning signs in case the wrong person has somehow succeeded in making contact with your child.

Making your children feel safe and secure takes a balanced effort. Too much supervision and being overprotective will cause your children to look for other ways to do what they want. For example, if you try to prevent your child from going online at all, this will only make the whole world of cyberspace seem more attractive and exciting. Maybe it is up to the parents to protect their children, but there are times when it just isn't possible. You don't need to watch every keystroke, but it would be nice to know your children's online friends and also their activities. It's better to teach your kids to be sophisticated enough that they know better than to become victims.

Many predators are lurking in chatrooms, and plenty of other places, with the sole purpose of seeking out children. Any child going into a public chatroom more than likely will be contacted by a predator, according to the FBI. This is sad but true fact of modern life. That's why you shouldn't let younger children enter chatrooms at all, especially when you're not nearby to supervise. Children should never give out any personal information or photographs, and even older children should never believe a person's identity at face value. AIM or AOL Instant Messenger is another area you should pay attention to, because next to chatrooms this is the next likely place for predators. Just being ever vigilant towards your kids and their web applications can let you rest at ease. Of course you want your children to develop a certain amount of independence, but when it pertains to the internet, there is a level of danger that needs to be addressed. As long as you keep a watchful eye over your kids' internet activities, you should be able to feel confident that all will be well.

It's no hidden secret that satisfied kids makes a pleased household. And one proven method of keeping the kids pleased is to take plenty of pictures of them and put them up throughout the house. This really is fairly easy if you've got the proper computer printing device. If you don't, don't be concerned, these are pretty cheap. Talk with your neighborhood computer store right now.




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