Internet Safety for Kids

Do you watch what your kids are doing while they are surfing?

A couple of my kids are fairly young, so I didn't think I needed to.  Boy, was I wrong.  One of my sons' teachers told me that, today, if you're not keeping tabs on what young kids are doing on the internet, someone else (someone on the internet) is teaching them some things you may not want them to learn at their age.

I went to a neighborhood watch meeting a while back.  It was led by the sheriff in our town. He had several internet gurus with him.  The stats that they gave about predators on the net were astounding to me.  The sheriff's department actually has a team of people just dedicated to trying to catch sexual offenders that seek out young people on the internet.

They recommended that, as a parent, you keep the computers that kids might use in a public place in the home so that you can keep an eye on what the kids are looking up.  Also, they recommended that parents talk with their kids about NOT joining chat rooms and social sites that enable them to connect with people they don't know on the internet.  There's no reason why young kids should be "meeting" people online.

They also recommended having conversations with the kids about what information is okay to give out online, and what information is NOT okay to ever give out.

One of the most important things that they recommended is some internet safety software.  There is quite a variety of software programs available today that will provide an extra layer of protection for your kids.  Do research to find one that provides the features that you think are important.

Internet safety with kids is important.  It might be "out of sight, out of mind," but it should be something you're mindful about and, as proactive parents, it is good to be cautious and preventive.

For more on internet safety, see my pages on Child Safety on the Internet, Social Networking Safety, Cyberbullying, and information on how you can look up the sexual offenders list in your area.