Internet Safety

Every day we hear or read of the dangers of the internet, especially for children. A very computer knowledgeable friend with a bright, outgoing 12 year old spent a long time worrying about their safety because an on-line “friend” got their daughter to give out her home address, school and other information on line. And their computer was in the kitchen/family room where everyone was always congregating.

To help parents, The American Library Association has safe internet use tips for parents, teens, and kids. Tips for parents with kids using the internet, at home or at the library include :
• setting reasonable expectations
• being open and talking with your children
• having online activity take place in a central area of the home
• and asking children to share blogs and online profiles with you.
• knowing your child’s passwords
• let them know never to share personal information

Check out www.GetNetWise.org for more information. The website www.blogsafety.com has lots of information about safe blogging for teens. The American Library Association advises teens to be:
• anonymous
• protect personal information--never give out an address
• avoid in-person meetings
• to think before posting

Help on dealing with cyberbullies is available at www.cyberbully411.org Tips for kids include ignoring or blocking the bully, changing information if someone has hacked into your profile, and talking to a trusted person when upset about what has been said. For more information visit ALA’s website at: http://www.ala.org/ala/washoff/woissues/techinttele/internetsafety/internetsafety.cfm

You can make your child’s internet use safer with these tips.