INTERNET SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN By: Louvie Baldonado

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Internet has now become a part of every household, or if not, we can now easily access the internet by going to the internet shops that you can find in every busy street of the country.   As a mother I’m very appreciative of the benefits that I can get from the internet but I’m also concerned about the consequences that the internet can cause to my household, most especially to my child.

Here’s an article that I find helpful for the parents to learn some internet safety rules especially for their children.

STATISTICS SAYS:

● At any given time, there are more than 5,000,000 Internet Pedophiles online

●Young children who use the Internet have 100%, instant access to over 1.8 billion pornographic websites

●25% of children have been exposed to unwanted pornographic material online. According to research, only approximately 25% of children who encountered a sexual approach / solicitation told a parent or adult.

●75% of children is willing to share personal information online about themselves and their family in exchange for goods.

●77% of the targets for online predators was age 14 or older. Another 22% are users ages 10 to 13.

●When your child enters a chat room; they have a 50% chance of engaging in a conversation with a pedophile who is posing as a child.

LEARN HOW TO KEEP YOUR CHILD SAFE ON THE INTERNET

The bottom line is that your kids do NOT have a right to privacy when it comes to internet or computer use, and you as a parent have a right and a responsibility to see to it that they're not getting into anything they shouldn't be getting into.

If it's illegal offline, it's illegal on the Web. Children from 0 - 16 are entitled to exactly as much privacy as they can safely handle. In the case of the Internet, that means none. Children should be told up front that their communications will be monitored on an ongoing basis. This is a condition of their use of the Internet. If they don't like it, they can find something else to do with their time.

Parents need to know where their children are, who they are hanging out with at all times. The internet is the same as mall or anywhere else on earth. Parents are allowed to know where their child is on the internet and what they are doing there. And it's pretty easy to keep them in line, because the alternative for them is to not be permitted to use the computer -- end of story.

Too many parents are afraid to take control of their child’s computer. They’re afraid of their kids. They somehow think because technology is involved, they’re no longer the parent. You’re the parent.  If you don’t like it, unplug the computer. If they don’t follow your rules, no Internet at all. If you’re not the parent and if you’re not going to step in, no Web site on earth is going to be able to help your child be safe.  Take computers out of the bedrooms and put them in the living room or where the parents are.

TIPS FOR SAFE SURFING

• Discover the internet Together
• Agree to the rules for internet use
• Encourage your child to be careful when disclosing personal information.
• Talk about the risks of meeting an online friend face to face
• Teach your child to be critical of online sources
• Parents please sit down with your kids at the computer and teach them to recognize ads.
• Remember, the computer is like TV. Is everything on your TV appropriate for your child? Teach them to be aware of all media.
• Empowerment & Convergence Dialogue
  Look at a Ratings chart that will tell Parents how to use the warning labels and what they look like to give them the tools to decide if their child is old enough to be using/buying the product.
• Don't be too critical of your child's web browsing
• Report illegal online material to the police
• Encourage good Netiquette
• Know your children's net use
• Remember that the positive aspects of the internet outweigh the negatives.

As a parent I know how much we want to keep our kids safe because we love them.   These days, a lot of risks and dangers are everywhere.  There are risks even inside our very own room.  What we need to learn as parents is to have a good communication with our children.   In that way we can guide them and protect them from possible dangers that are coming their way.  Let us be responsible at all times.--Louvie Baldonado

Photo: www.kotaku.com.au