Internet Safety Facts (continued)

Privacy is important ... but a parents in New York thought their teen daughter was innocently talking on chatline phones and after checking phone bills and internet logs, they learned she had run away to meet an adult male who she had been talking with.
Luckily they were able to find her but they couldn't undo the harm that their daughter suffered.

Kids and teens need to know that unless they absolutely know the person they are communicating with over the Internet, not to accept everything a person says online at face value. They must understand the online danger they could be in and be alert.

When your children are on the Internet, post Internet safety rules and facts right by their computer.

Mistakes

We all mistype addresses into web browsers and search engines. And our chilren can too. That mistake can bring us to sites we do not mean to visit.

Stress to your children the importance of typing correct addresses. Discuss rules about ending up on sites that are not appropriate.

Communication

Communicate openly with your child about what they do online. By having an open relationship with your children, you can discuss a range of issues such as the kinds of materials, situations, or people they may mistakenly come across. Keep talks low-key and and discuss all of the situations that could happen on the Internet.

Be honest, open and comfortable. The more comfortable you are, the more comfortable your child will feel. Openly explain that emailing personal information about themselves to a strange adult on the Internet, or viewing sexually explicit or adult oriented materials are not appropriate and what can happen. By being open and honest, your child won't feel as though they've done something wrong. They should never be afraid of telling you they've visited or emailed someone from these sites.

By discussing these things before they happen, you can prevent your child from being a story in the media.

Kids At Risk

If you find any record of innapprorpiate conversations or pornographic photos, do not panic!

Talk calmly to your child about your concerns. If you fear your child is truly in trouble or at risk, seek help.

Signs that indicate your children are being abused online:

• If your child becomes secretive about their time online
• Uses computers in other than their own such as at homes of friends, Interent cafes, or libraries
• Uses encryption software
• Downloads files onto discs where you cannot see information
• Displays changes in behavior or acts out sexually
• Becomes withdrawn and lsoes self-esteem
• If your phone bill or child's cell phone bill is unusually high
• You see unfamiliar phone numbers on your bill (800 numbers do not appear on phone bills)
• Your child disappears while talking on their cell phone

Note: Kids may hesitate to give out their home numbers but will almost always give out their cell phone numbers. Pedophiles will call and send text messages directly to children.

Child Protection Safety Measures

Kids are very computer savvy and can pretty much figure out protective software, security measures, password changes, etc.

If you have computer passwords and PIN numbers, measures should be taken to protect those at all costs.