Protect Your Child Online

Raising a polite, helpful child is always a joy but there will be times when being helpful may not always be a good thing.

The internet, for example, has made helping people quite risky. Scammers, identity thieves, pedophiles and even bullies have masqueraded as people asking for help and many of them target young kids and teens.

If you want to help your children deal with people purportedly asking for help, About.com and Kids’ Health suggest some things you can do:

Educate yourself with the kind of scams that proliferate online.
You have to know what you’re up against if you want to be effective at protecting your children. Get used to the technology and learn about the kind of scams that prey on gullible internet users. Read the rest of this entry »

If you want to provide online protection and security for your kids, should you read their blogs? Furthermore, should you be involved? How do you not cross the line between being a caring parent and a snoop? Here are ways you can check out your kids’ blogs and protect them online:

First of all, understand that a blog is often for public use.
If your kid posts a non-password protected blog, you can rightfully assume that anybody, including you, has the right to view it. Don’t worry about being an annoying snoop. Just like your kids’ friends and other visitors, you’re just reading his blog.

Become aware of your kids’ blog activities.
Nearly 50% of blogs maintained online today are written by teenagers. More than 60% of them provide their ages, about 20% give their real names and about 60% actually provide their contact information and location. That may seem harmless, but to any protective parent, it has its risks.

Before your child begins his or her own blog, discuss certain security measures. Ask them not to post any information that might give away their identity and location. It’s quite easy for predators and bullies to trace them using the profiles they provided on their blogs.

Help choose the service provider.
The kind of blogging service your kid chooses is important to ensure he is protected online. Make sure the service offers online security, including password protection for blogs.

Screen your kids’ blog posts.
Take a look at the kind of stuff your kid posts online. Some information that may seem innocent, such as a photo of your house, city or town, your kids’ school logo or mascot or even the date of the school’s prom, are clues to his whereabouts.

Discourage competition.
It’s normal for kids and teens to try to outdo their peers by gaining more attention. They do this by posting provocative pictures of themselves and offering more information than necessary. Ask them not to do this.

Check your kid’s blog regularly.
Once you know your kid’s blog web address, log onto it from time to time to check for any unusual or suspect activities. If you find inappropriate content or posts, alert your kid immediately.

Educate yourself and your kids.
When it comes to protecting your kids’ online, prevention is still the best cure. Learn what you can about this technology and inform your kids. A blog is your kids’ right to self expression but they still need your guidance and concern to keep them safe.

For more information on how you can protect your kids online, iVillage and Microsoft has a wide variety of tips.

Having a child fall prey to a pedophile is any parent’s worst nightmare. These days, technology has made it even easier for these criminals to get even closer.

And don’t think they’re looking for an easy fix. Many of them are more than willing to spend weeks, even months, ‘grooming’ their victims. If you want to protect your child from potential child abuse brought about by online activity, here are some tips from MSN you can use:

Educate yourself.
Grooming is a term predators such as pedophiles use to describe the manner with which they choose their intended victims and seduce them. It starts with some innocent conversation, asking the child about his school or his favorite sport, movie or music. Read the rest of this entry »

Do you know that there are laws that are created to protect children online? Lawmakers, more particularly those hailing from Oklahoma, have passed lots of key protective measures for children, from wearing helmets when riding ATV’s to creating defenses for them against predators from the Internet. Furthermore, they are delegating funds to enforce such laws immediately.

The law protecting children against online predators is called the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998. The law is created to protect children against:

1. Deceptive acts that leads to the acquisition and use of children’s personal information over the internet.

A website cannot merely requires a child for his name, address, phone, age, and social security number without first telling them about the necessity for it. Furthermore, there should be a recorded consent from parents if and when the said information are indeed required during the website registration process.

2. The information given by the child should not be retained by the operator and should be used as described on a one-time basis only.

This clause is particularly true when parental consent is not necessary during the website’s registration process. It is unlawful for website owners to keep the information given to them by children. Also, they should not use it to contact the child again for any other purpose.

3. Operators who are enticing children to give out more information about themselves by offering them prizes.

It is not lawful for website operators to condition a child to participate in a game to win a prize by telling more about themselves. Ploys like these are punishable by the law. Instead, website operators are encouraged to initiate self-regulation among themselves to protect a child’s security, confidentiality, and integrity.

4. Website operators who are disclosing information about the children on their site.

Even if the child is allowed by their parents to give out their personal information, website operators are not permitted to display them over the website without discretion. It should not also be placed in a database so it can be used and reused anytime they wish. Violators of this law will be apprehended accordingly.

These are the things that are included in the law that protect children from criminals and pedophiles operating over the internet. But of course, parents should take it upon themselves to always do the first step towards their child’s safety. For more information about the recent police activities with regards to this matter, check this resource.

The absence of borders in the Internet used to be one of its greatest attractions but now it is also becoming one of its biggest problems. Among other things, the lack of restrictions, especially in terms of age, contributes to the heightened dangers that many children unknowingly face when using the Internet.

Fortunately, there are various websites that have been put up to help protect children online.

www.safekids.com – This website offers parents and children various tips and tools on how to explore the Internet properly. Advice includes blogging tips for teens, privacy issues, and chat room safety.

www.ceop.gov.uk – Based in the United Kingdom, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection focuses their services on helping victims of all forms of child abuse. Part of their outline involves providing valuable advice for parents on how to keep their children out of harm’s way when using the Internet. Read the rest of this entry »

Just recently, the police are planning a major crackdown on 130 suspected pedophiles in the relation to the drive that aims to protect children and young adults. It has been reported that detectives may require the suspects to let them inspect their computers and other data storage devices to find evidence of any attempt to exploit children online.

This action puts focus to the fact that minors and young children may not be protected from the internet at all. It is possible that these criminals would find their way to a child’s life through social contact over the internet. And as parents, it is a must that you particularly knows the website your child is visiting protects them from abusive people.

Here are the ways on how to make sure that a website, especially social networking ones, protects their children audiences when they surf, join, and interact with other members:

1. If the website requires parental consent before children below 13 years of age can join.

The parental consent can be requested by the website through an email to the child’s guardian. As a result, children are asked for their parent’s email address and send the site’s registration confirmation letter through it. That way, the child’s parents know what sites their children are interested it. They can decide for them whether the site they chose to join is good for them or not. Read the rest of this entry »

Even if old dogs are truly difficult to teach new tricks to, if they want to protect their puppies, they better improve their learning curves. And for parents, this means coming up to scratch with Internet to ensure that their children are not being abused in any way online.

Parents cannot protect their children from the Internet by preventing complete access to them as this could only incite them to rebel against their parents. What parents should understand first and foremost is that the Internet is not entirely bad and several precautionary steps may be taken to ensure that it is a safe and even helpful environment for their children to use.

Besides learning how to surf the Internet and what kind of information they could obtain from it, parents should focus on learning about the following key areas to become better prepared for their roles as educators and protectors of their children.

Filtering and Access – Parents should learn about the different ways they can restrict children from accessing websites that may contain indecent materials even when they’re not physically present.

Communication – Parents should familiarize themselves with the various ways that children enjoy real-time communication like emailing, instant messaging, and use of chat rooms. They should also try to learn the possible dangers associated with each communication method and the options available to them to minimize these dangers.

Social Networking Websites – This is one of the most popular trends in the Internet today and especially for kids and teenagers. Parents should learn how social networking websites work and educate their children about the kind of information they cannot safely display on their profiles and who they should allow access to their accounts.

Blogging – The word “blog” is short for web log, an online diary where a person may write almost anything he wishes to and which can be accessible to everyone using the Internet. The dangers of blogging are typically similar with those of social networking websites.

Besides self-study, there are other alternatives available for parents to learn about the ins and outs of the Internet quickly and easily.

The organization Stop Child Abuse and Neglect or SCAN, for instance, has implemented a number of programs to ensure that parents are prepared for their dynamic roles in child rearing. One such program is the Prevention through Education workshop which, among other things, teaches parents about Internet Safety and Bullying Prevention.

And of course, talking to their children will always help. In these instances, it’s critical that they act like their children’s friends or equals to encourage honesty and openness.

If your child surfs the internet on a regular basis, you should know that there are certain concerns and considerations about his use. However, certain allies exist who can help you protect your kids online. One of the unlikeliest is probably his group of friends. Microsoft and Symantec offers the following ways you can ask for your kid’s friends’ help to keep them protected online.

A circle of trust
Friendship means a lot to young children and teens and very often, parents find themselves outside this circle. Don’t try to ignore this bond between your kid and his friend because it can hold certain valuable information about your kid’s activities and interests, especially online. You could actually get help from his friends to help you ensure your child is protected online. Here’s how:

Choose the friend who knows the internet.
If your child’s friend is already knowledgeable, it’s a lot easier to let them know what you wish to be done. They are more likely to be better informed about safety issues on the internet.

Choose the friend who has the most influence.
Even if your child has numerous friends, he’s bound to have one particular friend whose opinions he values most. Ask this friend to help you. If you both come to an understanding about what your goals are, you are more likely to succeed.

Choose the friend who is responsible.
Talk to the most emotionally mature friend your child has and ask them for help. Childish and stubborn kids can’t always be counted upon. A more responsible friend will be more agreeable to what you have to say and is more likely to offer his help voluntarily.

Ask for the friend’s opinion.
It’s easier to win a young child or teenager over if you don’t treat them like they’re ignorant. In some cases, they might be more knowledgeable about internet practices than you are.

Talk to them like you would to an adult. Ask them for their views and opinions instead. If necessary, ask them for advice. If you let them know about your concerns about online protection and security, they will be more likely to open up and tell you what you can do. Furthermore, they are more likely to agree to help you.

Don’t make it his responsibility.
It’s too much to ask a young child or teen to take on the responsibility of watching out for your child to help protect him online. If it becomes work, it also becomes a burden and he is bound to resent it later on.

Children have easy access to internet nowadays. They can go online from their homes, schools, or even in public places. It is almost impossible to monitor what sites they go to and where they join. So as parents, how should you go about it?

The answer is simple – maintain a good level of communication with them. Regular chats and small talks about this and that could help a lot. Here are the things that you should tell children so that you can protect them from online dangers:

1. Tell your children about the importance of keeping their personal information to themselves.

Right now, there are a lot of sites that requires intrusive information about a person before they can join. The most common example would be social networking sites. If children give out their personal information, it would be very easy for perpetrators to learn more about them and do something harmful.

2. Tell them that if they feel uncomfortable about talking to somebody online, end the conversation right away.

There are a lot of people that has the ability to deceive children through messenger programs and email correspondence. Tell your children never to talk to children they don’t trust. Talking to somebody online is like talking to stranger. And you should not give strangers too much of a trust.

3. Tell your kids about the dangers of flirting and talking too much with strangers online.

Flirting may lead your kids in a very difficult situations, most especially if the person they are talking with, succeeds in making your child agree in a meet up. As much as possible, they should keep their relations to their online buddies online alone. No meeting up – not unless they are fully accompanied by an adult and both parents knew about it.

4. Tell your kids to always trust their instinct.

Whenever they surf the internet alone, it is as if they are walking on an unfamiliar road alone. And as such, they have nobody but their own selves to go to. Whenever they feel that somebody over the internet is taking advantage of them, they should end associations with him or her immediately. The moment they feel uncomfortable is the moment they should gather their wits and do the right thing.

These are the four most important things that every child, minor, or teenager should know so that they can be protected from online dangers. If children knew what they are up against, the chances of them looking out for their own safety is good.

Ideally, social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook, and MySpace, have been established to allow users to interact with old and new individuals in the hope that these relationships would develop into friendship or something deeper even. But in reality, these social networking sites do not offer entirely good things to children.

Statistics from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Group show that there are approximately 50,000 pedophiles surfing the Internet at any given time. Major social networking websites may receive over 2M visitors each month and one out of twelve minors who meets another individual in the Internet proceeds to meeting the individual in person afterward.

More than 10% of Internet sites carry photos not fit for children’s consumption but unfortunately, 90% of minors who use the Internet have already been exposed to such materials. Worse, more than 30% of these children have also been subjected to Internet bullying. Read the rest of this entry »