Kid Safe

Parent’s Can Actually Teach Kids Something About The Internet!

Last month  research was published by the University of Buffalo and the University of Maryland that showed that teen’s online safety was improved by education.

“The researchers found that preteens and early teenagers who were educated on the importance of Internet privacy through school, parents, or the media were more likely to practice online safety than those who weren’t. Among teachers, peers, and parents, parents were the most influential in delivering that education, according to respondents.”

One of the more interesting results of the study were that girls were more likely to practice safe Internet behaviors than boys.   They believe that girls found internet safety and privacy online to be more important.

Boys are more willing to provide personal information, which goes against my own personal assumptions. I would be interested in learning more about why this behavior is different between the genders.

Kids Don’t Learn From Their Mistakes!

The researchers were surprised to find that kids who had experienced a “privacy breach” did NOT change their behaviors afterward, which increased their chance of become a victim again.  It’s surprising, all though very well known, that kids don’t learn from their mistakes.

It is just more proof that education is paramount.  Parents are doing a great job by discussing Internet “best practices” with their kids.  As the study showed, parents have the greatest influence.

Where Can Parent’s Go For Help?

As you may know, Children’s Educational Network has been dedicated to providing technology and education for many years now.  It has been our theory that technology alone was not enough to keep our kids safe.  We have developed educational tools along with KidSafe Software to help teach kids and parents the importance of being safe out there in the vast world wide web.

For parent’s who need help discussing Internet Safety with their children, there is a vast array of resources available on the Internet. We developed an Internet Safety Report for you to use and share with other parents, teachers, educators, and anyone else who might be in the sphere of influence for your children.

It’s nice to have validation by such prestigious researchers.

Social Networking Sites: A Parent’s Guide

“It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?”Remember that phrase from your own childhood? It’s still a valid question, but now, it comes with a twist: “Do you know where your kids are — and who they’re chatting with online?”

Social networking sites have morphed into a mainstream medium for teens and adults. These sites encourage and enable people to exchange information about themselves, share pictures and videos, and use blogs and private messaging to communicate with friends, others who share interests, and sometimes even the world-at-large. And that’s why it’s important to be aware of the possible pitfalls that come with networking online.

Some social networking sites attract pre-teens — even kids as young as 5 or 6. These younger-focused sites don’t allow the same kinds of communication that teens and adults have, but there are still things that parents can do to help young kids socialize safely online. In fact, when it comes to young kids, the law provides some protections — and gives parents some control over the type of information that children can disclose online. For sites directed to children under age 13, and for general audience sites that know they’re dealing with kids younger than 13, there’s the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). It requires these sites to get parental consent before they collect, maintain, or use kids’ information. COPPA also allows parents to review their child’s online profiles and blog pages.

Parents sometimes can feel outpaced by their technologically savvy kids. Technology aside, there are lessons that parents can teach to help kids stay safer as they socialize online.

Help Kids Socialize Safely Online

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, urges parents to talk to their tweens and teens about social networking sites, and offers these tips for using these sites safely:

• Help your kids understand what information should be private. Tell them why it’s important to keep some things — about themselves, family members and friends — to themselves. Information like their full name, Social Security number, street address, phone number, and family financial information — like bank or credit card account numbers — is private and should stay that way. Tell them not to choose a screen name that gives away too much personal information.

• Use privacy settings to restrict who can access and post on your child’s website. Some social networking sites have strong privacy settings. Show your child how to use these settings to limit who can view their online profile, and explain to them why this is important.

• Explain that kids should post only information that you — and they — are comfortable with others seeing. Even if privacy settings are turned on, some — or even all — of your child’s profile may be seen by a broader audience than you’re comfortable with. Encourage your child to think about the language used in a blog, and to think before posting pictures and videos. Employers, college admissions officers, team coaches, and teachers may view your child’s postings. Even a kid’s screen name could make a difference. Encourage teens to think about the impression that screen names could make.

• Remind your kids that once they post information online, they can’t take it back. Even if they delete the information from a site, older versions may exist on other people’s computers and be circulated online.

• Know how your kids are getting online. More and more, kids are accessing the Internet through their cell phones. Find out about what limits you can place on your child’s cell phone. Some cellular companies have plans that limit downloads, Internet access, and texting; other plans allow kids to use those features only at certain times of day.

• Talk to your kids about bullying. Online bullying can take many forms, from spreading rumors online and posting or forwarding private messages without the sender’s OK, to sending threatening messages. Tell your kids that the words they type and the images they post can have real-world consequences. They can make the target of the bullying feel bad, make the sender look bad — and, sometimes, can bring on punishment from the authorities. Encourage your kids to talk to you if they feel targeted by a bully.

• Talk to your kids about avoiding sex talk online. Recent research shows that teens who don’t talk about sex with strangers online are less likely to come in contact with a predator.If you’re concerned that your child is engaging in risky online behavior, you can search the blog sites they visit to see what information they’re posting. Try searching by their name, nickname, school, hobbies, grade, or area where you live.

• Tell your kids to trust their gut if they have suspicions. If they feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, encourage them to tell you. You can then help them report concerns to the police and to the social networking site. Most sites have links where users can immediately report abusive, suspicious, or inappropriate online behavior.

• Read sites’ privacy policies. Spend some time with a site’s privacy policy, FAQs, and parent sections to understand its features and privacy controls. The site should spell out your rights as a parent to review and delete your child’s profile if your child is younger than 13.

Here is a link to download a PDF report that includes all kids of Internet Facts and Internet Safety statistics that you can download, add to your site and or give away at special events.

http://kidsafe.com/freereports/Internet%20STATS%20Presented%20By%20CEN.pdf