Keeping safe on the internet

This is a summary article. We also have a more detailed article about online safety available.

The Internet is a fantastic place for children. They can find answers to almost any question, chat to people around the world and learn any number of skills of research and literacy. It is a global classroom and playground wrapped into one. Children deserve access to such a great resource and we want to encourage them. But as parents it's inevitable we'll worry. We all have the occasional pang of fear that our child will stumble across images or content of an adult nature that might upset them or be contacted by someone we don't know and who doesn't have their best interests at heart. Of course we can't protect our children from everything in the big bad world and we wouldn't necessarily want to. We know they need to learn and it is our job to help them explore safely. Educating our children to act responsibly and independently must be one of our most important jobs as well as one of the hardest.

How to keep safe

Why not sit down with your children and talk to them about good online habits? Most children respond well if they are engaged with in what they see as a reasonable manner. Here are our suggestions for good online habits, but of course you can adapt them to suit your own children.

Top 10 Good Habits - for kids

The Internet is public, what you say stays there for a very long time, think before you type.
Be cautious about who you talk to and if anyone starts to act strangely or in a way that makes you uncomfortable LEAVE the conversation.
Be careful about what information about yourself you give out, sharing personal information like your address is not smart.
If you have your own web page or blog don't forget who can see what you say - often times this means absolutely anyone. If you want to be safer, make it invitation only.
Don't jump off that cliff just because your mates egg you on. It is easy to feel more confident and brave in the presence of friends but resist doing things you aren't comfortable with.
Search safely. Keep the parental controls on and you can avoid really extreme images and remember, once you have seen something you can't 'unsee' it.
Don't click on adverts for things you don't recognise. There are a lot of products and services that just aren't appropriate for kids.
Don't download anything without checking with an adult first, just in case you land them with a ugly virus or a hefty fine.
Be responsible and play nice! If you wouldn't say it in person don't type it out. Making nasty comments can backfire badly.
If you get distressed by ANYTHING you see or read TELL an adult.

Have fun, be smart and stay safe.

Watching over them - for parents

Use parentally controlled email. In fact, use SAFEnSOUNDmail - it’s sophisticated but simple to use and really great value! By giving your children their own email address you can show you trust them, give them the chance to act responsibly and you can decide together how much monitoring you will do.
Keep computers in family rooms as children are less likely to feel vulnerable or act inappropriately if there is a lot of through traffic of family members.
Set up a folder of acceptable websites just for them.
Look into what controls you own computer has to restrict searches or block certain sites.
Encourage a no-blame policy: if they encounter something upsetting when they are somewhere they shouldn't have been you don't want them hiding it from you because they are afraid you'll be angry.

Simple rules can let you relax and your children have fun, safely.

Our web directory has excellent and appropriate links for children AND some links to useful safety sites for you.

	HOME		WHAT IT DOES		SIGN UP FOR FREE		QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS		DISCUSSIONS
Existing User? Sign In: Children \| Teens \| Parents