How to Protect Children on the Internet: A Practical Guide for Parents
The Internet is an amazing place. It offers great opportunities for learning, finding information quickly, fun games, contacting friends, shopping and chatting to others with similar interests.
But the Internet can be used by paedophiles for the sexual solicitation of children, which is known as ‘online grooming’. Typically, this relates to the use of Internet with the intention to ‘procure’ a child to engage in sexual activity, either online or by means of a physical encounter offline. It also refers to more preparatory online communications that are designed to make children more amenable to sexual advances.
The anonymity of the Internet means that trust and intimacy can develop quickly online. Many teens use peer support online forums to deal with their problems. Predators often go these online areas to look for vulnerable victims. They can claim to be a 12-year-old girl and be a 40-year-old paedophile.
It is believed that 1 in 5 children who use chatrooms have been approached by paedophiles over the Internet. Approximately 20% of all Internet pornography involves children. An online safety survey conducted by nimemsn and NetAlert in December 2005 revealed that nearly 1 in 2 teens would potentially meet a person they have “met” online. Perhaps more worrying, is only 1 in 10 of these teens would ask their parents’ for permission to do so.
Educating children and parents about online safety is clearly an important way of preventing children from falling victim to online sexual predators. This guide provides parents and carers with advice, information and the tools to keep children safe when using the Internet, as well as empowering children who use the Internet. It considers what children are doing on the Internet according to their age, the dangers associated with using the Internet and the strategies parents and carers can use to minimise risks.
Internet Safety Checklist – What Parents Can Do
This checklist provides a summary of the key things you should know to keep your family safe when using the Internet.
Before you start…
—Talk to your family about the importance of staying safe online and the need to have an Internet safety plan for your home.
—Teach your children how to use the Internet safely.
Getting set up correctly…
—Check if you are connected to a family-friendly Internet service provider. If not, switch to one that can help you with Internet safety.
—Look at where the computer is set up at home. It should be in a public area of the house, not in a bedroom, where it will be easier for you to supervise.
—Make sure you have safety software installed on your computer. This may include a filter and other security software such as anti-virus programs, spyware and ad-aware.
—Use a family-friendly search engine for all web searches.
Create family guidelines…
—Discuss the benefits and risks of going online with your children and reassure them that you are there to help if they get into trouble.
—Create an Internet safety contract with your children and set-up house rules for the use of the Internet.
When Online…
—Supervise and monitor the use of the Internet with your family. If issues arise address them quickly and know who to report problems to.
—Encourage and support your family with their use of the Internet. Teach them to make right distributions and increase levels of responsibility as children get older.
—Go online with your children
—Create a screen name for your child
Note: All of these help but can be bypassed. Parents are the best line of defence in protecting your children against the dangers online.
What are my Children doing on the Internet?
Many parents feel that their children know more than they do about using the Internet. The following sections explore the kinds of things your child may be accessing on the Internet.
What are children aged 2-7 years doing online?
Preschoolers are old enough to begin to explore the Internet and learn about the computer. Children from about 5 years may start to visit the children’s websites with you and enjoy email correspondence with family and friends.
What parents can do…
—Check out good sites for younger children – you should be responsible for selecting the sites that children in this age group can visit.
—Very close supervision is strongly recommended.
—Select sites and set up bookmarks for very young users.
—Consider using ‘safe zones’ for this age group, particularly when they start school and can do more on their own.
—Limit email correspondence to a list of friends and family members you have approved.
—Use filters to limit accidental access to unsuitable material.
What are children aged 8-11 years doing online?
From around eight years old, children become increasingly interested in exploring the Internet, chatting and corresponding online. Some older children may begin to assert their independence and look for ‘forbidden’ material. Their skills and independence will continue to increase, but making Internet exploration a family activity allows you to maintain close supervision.
What parents can do…
—Be actively involved in your child’s Internet use.
—Emphasise safe online behaviour and discuss why this is needed.
—Investigate any chat rooms or online clubs that your child wants to join to make sure they are legitimate.
—Consider using ‘filters’ to block access to Internet relay chat (IRC) and newsgroups.
—Discuss use of good cyber manners (‘netiquette’).
—Keep the computer in a public area of the home to supervise children’s use.
—Use family-friendly search engines designed for children.
What are children aged 12-18 years doing online?
The Internet becomes a valuable tool for homework and projects for teenagers. Their online and email contacts tend to expand. Many are ‘net savvy’ – they know about hacking into systems and understand basic computer programming. This increasing knowledge can also get them into trouble if they explore ways of getting around technical tools and methods for breaking into private systems.
What parents can do…
—Stay in touch with what your children are doing online. While it may become less feasible to actively supervise their access, continue to discuss Internet issues and share Internet experiences.
—Keep the computer in a public area of the home.
—Reinforce safety messages and cyber rules. Younger teens in particular should be reminded of the need to protect their privacy.
—Ensure that teens understand that posting to newsgroups makes their email address public.
—Ensure that both you and your teenager understand laws relating to copyright, privacy, software piracy, hacking and obscenity.
Children and adolescents accessing the Internet may be confronted with material that is disturbing or inappropriate. Although there are technological measures that can be adopted to minimise the risks, other strategies include educating children as early as possible about the benefits and dangers of using the Internet. It is essential to instruct children about how to be ‘street-smart’ and to use the Internet in a safe and responsible manner.
Internet Safety Pledge for Children
Place this safety pledge by the computer so you will always remember how to stay safe on the Internet.
I PROMISE…
—Never to give out my name or parents’ name, address, phone or mobile numbers, school name or location, clubs I am in or personal photos to anyone online.
—Never to give out my passwords or any credit card numbers to anyone (even my best friends).
—Never to arrange a face-to-face meeting with anyone I meet online.
—Never to go into chat rooms unless my parents say it’s okay.
—Never to open emails from someone I don’t know and never go to links I don’t recognise.
—Always to tell my parents or an adult if I see anything online that makes me feel uncomfortable.
—I will never download or install software without my parents’ permission.
—I will always show and tell my parents what I am doing online.
Name ________________________________ Date______________________
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Name ________________________________ Date______________________
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Parent Name __________________________ Date _________________
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Parent Name __________________________ Date _________________
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