Use Your NetSmartz: Tips for Helping Your Child Safely Navigate the Internet

Do you know what to do if your children come to you about something that happened online? This page is designed to provide you with the answers to questions you may have about teaching your children to use their NetSmartz. Click on the topics below for suggestions.

Use your NetSmartz ...

Your child will not always be contacted to meet offline by someone dangerous. If you are comfortable with the idea of your child meeting in person with another child he or she first met online, arrange it by contacting that child’s parents, and accompany your child to the meeting in a public place.

Always encourage your children to talk to you about their online experiences.

Use your NetSmartz when someone wants to know stuff about your child.

If your children give out personal information over the Internet, not only is it easy to track, it’s tough to completely remove. Emphasize to them how important it is that they keep personal information private. Make sure that they have a strong username and password that doesn’t reveal anything personal. Encourage them not to give out their e-mail address, if they have one. If your children tell you that they have given out personal information online, contact your Internet Service Provider or the site where the information is posted to see what you can do to have it removed.

To learn more, watch “Tracking Teresa.”

Use your NetSmartz if something makes your child feel uncomfortable.

There is a lot of material on the Internet that is inappropriate. You can use filtering software to protect your child from that material, but remember that filters do not guarantee that your child will not be exposed; a filter will never be a substitute for your presence.

• Monitor your child’s online behavior. Keep your family computer in a highly visible, common area, like the family room or the kitchen.

• Ask your children to show you what sites they go to, and be open and willing to discuss the inappropriate material they might come across. One of the main reasons that children do not report the inappropriate content they find online is fear of punishment from parents. If you let them know that it is not their fault if they come across an inappropriate site, they will be more willing to come to you when it happens.

• If your children ever show you a site that contains illegal behavior, such as pornographic images of children, contact your Internet Service Provider and the CyberTipline (www.cybertipline.com).

Use your NetSmartz when someone is bullying your child over the Internet.

This generation of Internet users is remarkably savvy as to how to use the technology for their own gain. The anonymity of the web makes it a perfect place to feed embarrassing and hurtful rumors and gossip. Online polling booths allow children to vote on the physical traits of other students; children can also take humiliating pictures or video of other children and post it to the web. As a parent, it can be overwhelming to wonder what you can do if your child ever becomes the target of cyberbullying.