Web 2.0 is a term used to describe a new generation of Web services and applications with an increasing emphasis on human collaboration. Your child will be exploring Web 2.0 at school, and parents should get involved, too! Collaboration and/or communication between teachers and parents, parents and parents, and parents and students is convenient and easy!
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Parents and Teachers need to be educated about Internet Safety and Guidelines. Together, we can protect our children as they dive into this exciting world of 2.o!
Help Our Children Blog Safely
Does your child have a blog? Use the blogging rule of thumb! Never post anything in a blog that you would not want to share with everyone you know.
- Establish guidelines with your child before allowing him or her to blog, such as reviewing your child’s blogs before posting.
- Ensure that your child is using privacy settings.
- Have your child remove any identifying information from all postings—full names, ages, locations, phone numbers, and school names.
- Caution your child about the dangers of posting inappropriate or provocative information or images. Once something is posted online, it cannot be taken back.
- Encourage your child to come to you if anything on the blog site makes him or her feel uncomfortable.
Use these discussion starters to get an Internet safety conversation going with your children. The more often you talk to them about online safety, the easier it will get, so don’t get discouraged if they don’t respond immediately!
- Do you keep a blog? Could I read it?
- Who do you think is reading your blog?
- Would you feel comfortable letting anyone read your blog?
- Is your blog set to private? Why or why not?
- What do you think your blog says about you?
- Can you show me some of your favorite blogs?
Help prevent child victimization
Many assume that children at risk for victimization are neglected or from dysfunctional homes. However, all children, even those from supportive families, may be at risk of victimization. Encourage your child to come to you immediately if anyone makes him or her feel uncomfortable online or makes overtures to meet in person.
- Your child becomes withdrawn and isolated from family and friends.
- You find inappropriate material on the computer.
- Your child receives mail, money, or gifts from unknown people.
- You see unknown phone numbers when reviewing the phone bill.
- Make it clear that the victimization is not his or her fault.
- Save all evidence of victimization, such as e-mails or instant message conversations.
- Contact your local law-enforcement agency.
- Who do you usually talk to online?
- Do you trust the people that you meet online? Why or why not?
- What could happen if you meet in person with someone you have only known online?
- Have you ever met anyone online who has offered you gifts?
- Who do you talk to when you have a problem? Would you feel comfortable talking to me?
Help protect children from bullying
Bullying is often seen as an unfortunate, but natural part of adolescence. However,cyberbullying can affect the social, emotional, and physical health of a child. For these reasons, it is important that parents and guardians take steps to help their child deal with and respond to cyberbullying.
- Tell your child not to respond to rude e-mails, messages, and comments.
- Save the evidence, such as e-mail and text messages, and take screenshots of comments and images. Also, take note of the date and time when the harassment occurs.
- Contact your Internet service provider (ISP) or cell phone provider. Ask the website administrator or ISP to remove any Web page created to hurt your child.
- If harassment is via e-mail, social networking sites, IM, and chat rooms, instruct your child to “block” bullies or delete your child’s current account and open a new one.
- If harrassment is via text and phone messages, change the phone number and instruct your child to only share the new number with trustworthy people. Also, check out phone features that may allow the number to be blocked.
- Get your child’s school involved. Learn the school’s policy on cyberbullying and urge administrators to take a stance against all forms of bullying.
- Make a report to www.cybertipline.com, and if you feel something illegal has occurred, inform law enforcement.
Start a discussion with your child
Use these discussion starters to get an Internet safety conversation going with your children. The more often you talk to them about online safety, the easier it will get, so don’t get discouraged if they don’t respond immediately!
- Why do you think people cyberbully?
- How does your school deal with cyberbullying?
- Have you ever sent a mean message because you were upset?
- What would you do if someone created a mean, fake profile for you or one of your friends?
- How can you stop yourself from being cyberbullied?
- Who would you talk to if it happened to you?
Help children stay safer online
Keep your children safer online by being familiar with the technology and applications that they use to talk with one another.
- Know who your child is communicating with online.
- Open a family e-mail account to share with younger children.
- Work with your child to brainstorm screennames and e-mail addresses that do not contain information about gender, identity, or location, and that avoid being suggestive.
- Teach your child never to open e-mails from unknown senders and to use settings on IM programs to block messages from people they do not know.
- Be aware of other ways your child may be going online—with cell phones, laptops, or from friends’ homes or the library.
- Tell your child not to share passwords with anyone but you to help avoid identity theft and cyberbullying.
- Familiarize yourself with popular acronyms at sites like www.netlingo.com and www.noslang.com/.
- Do you use IM or chat rooms to talk to your friends and others?
- How many people do you have on your buddy/contact list(s) and who are they?
- Have you ever chatted with someone you did not know in real life? What kinds of things did you talk about?
- Does the social networking site you use have e-mail, IM, or chat rooms?
- Do you know how to block others in chat rooms and IM? Can you show me how to do this?
- What would you do if you came across a pop-up of a naked person or a hate website regarding a specific religion?
- Would you feel comfortable telling me about anything you saw online that made you feel scared or uncomfortable? Why or why not?
Help children game safely
Parental involvement is critical when it comes to helping children game more safely. Take an active interest in the games that your child plays and wants to buy. You can research games’ ratings and content on www.esrb.org. This website is maintained by the Entertainment Software Rating Board which rates thousands of games each year.
- Know which safety features are available on the gaming equipment that your child uses—a headset may have voice-masking features, for example.
- Keep gaming consoles in an easy-to-supervise location and be aware of other places where your child may be accessing games.
- Tell your child never to give out personal information while gaming or agree to meet anyone outside of the game.
- Teach your child not to respond to anyone who is being rude or bullying while playing the game.
- Set rules for how long your child may play, what types of games are appropriate, and who else may participate.
- Have your child check with you before using a credit or debit card online.
- Check to see if the games your child plays have reporting features or moderators.
Start a discussion with your child
Use these discussion starters to get an Internet safety conversation going with your children. The more often you talk to them about online safety, the easier it will get, so don’t get discouraged if they don’t respond immediately!
- Can we play some of your favorite games together?
- How do you respond if someone bothers you while you are gaming?
- How much do you let people know about you while gaming?
- What kinds of people do you game with?
- Do you feel safe while you are gaming online? Why or why not?
Help protect children against
inappropriate content
Before your children use the Internet, you should talk to them about what content they are allowed to access. Above all, it’s important to open the lines of communication about online material that makes your child feel uncomfortable. Often, children are afraid to tell a parent or guardian about something they have seen because they are afraid that their Internet privileges will be taken away. The best solution is to openly discuss the situation before a problem arises.
- Know where children may have access to the Internet—at school, friends’ houses, community centers, or libraries—and where the computers may not have blocking and filtering mechanisms.
- Encourage your children to come to you or another trusted adult if he or she encounters inappropriate material.
- Install blocking, filtering, and monitoring software in order to block pop-ups, restrict access to sites with adult content, and see which sites your children visit.
- Discuss your family values with your children, and be clear about what online content aligns with those values.
- Use the NetSmartz Internet Safety Pledgesto set clear guidelines for going online.
- Report the sexual exploitation or online enticement of a child towww.cybertipline.com.
Start a discussion with your child
- What do you consider to be inappropriate material on the Internet?
- Without seeking it, how could someone run into inappropriate content online?
- Have you ever come across inappropriate content
Help children use cell phones safely
Is your child counting down the days until he or she is permitted to have a cell phone? Or are you already negotiating minute and text message allowances? Whichever stage you may be in with your child, these tips will help you set rules for safer cell phone use.
- Review cell phone records for any unknown numbers and late night phone calls and texts.
- Remind your child that texting is viral—anything sent in a text can be easily forwarded and shared.
- Teach your child never to reveal cell phone numbers or passwords online.
- Talk to your child about the possible consequences of sending sexually explicit or provocative images or text messages.
- When shopping for a cell phone for your child, research the security settings that are available.
Start a discussion with your child
Use these discussion starters to get an Internet safety conversation going with your children. The more often you talk to them about online safety, the easier it will get, so don’t get discouraged if they don’t respond immediately!
- What features do you use on your cell phone? Could you show me how to use them?
- Have you ever sent a text that was rude or mean?
- How many numbers do you have stored in your phone? Do you know them all in person?
- Has anyone ever taken an embarrassing picture of you without your permission?
- Have you ever taken an embarrassing picture of someone else? What did you do with it?
- Have you ever talked with someone you first met online on your cell phone?
- What would you do if someone sent you a text or picture that was inappropriate?
- What would you do if you came across a pop-up of a naked person or a hate website regarding a specific religion?
- Would you feel comfortable telling me about anything you saw online that made you feel scared or uncomfortable? Why or why not?
***These safety guidelines are from www.netsmartz.org***
