It seems like every week there is another scary story about the Internet—especially about the predators on the Internet. Just ten years ago, parents didn’t have to worry about how to keep their children safe on the Internet. It is a whole new way to interact with the world that must be protected, maintained, and patrolled, with clear and effective rules enforced at all times. Young children can have a great deal of fun on the Internet and can also learn a great deal at age appropriate webpages, but the real danger isn’t on random websites. If there is any danger to younger children, it is on social networking sites. But children can still interact on those networking sites, like Livejournal, MySpace, and Facebook, as long as you set clear rules and always enforce them.
For example, have your child’s login name and password. This will give you the ability to check their messages and monitor them regularly for any inappropriate content or material. If there ever is any inappropriate information being received or sent, you can intercept it and put an end to it. Also, make sure your children know that it’s never okay to talk to strangers, whether that is online or offline. Finally, use firewalls and spyware programs to protect your computer against spybots and viruses. Some programs can be quietly installed on your computer to gather all your personal information, like bank information and passwords. As important as it is to keep your children safe, it is also important to keep your computer safe from hackers.
It seems like every week there is another scary story about the Internet—especially about the predators on the Internet. Just ten years ago, parents didn’t have to worry about how to keep their children safe on the Internet. It is a whole new way to interact with the world that must be protected, maintained, and patrolled, with clear and effective rules enforced at all times. Young children can have a great deal of fun on the Internet and can also learn a great deal at age appropriate webpages, but the real danger isn’t on random websites. If there is any danger to younger children, it is on social networking sites. But children can still interact on those networking sites, like Livejournal, MySpace, and Facebook, as long as you set clear rules and always enforce them. 