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Safety for Web Surfers
 While
the internet offers many benefits, its use is not risk-free. Fraud is always a possibility on
the internet, just as it is elsewhere. Parents fear that their children may be exposed to inappropriate material or
be harassed or victimized by online predators. Perhaps the worst fear is
that someone could obtain personal information about your child and/or your
family and become a threat to their physical safety. While these are genuine
risks, it's worth noting that the worst
case scenarios are also the least likely. Nevertheless, there are things you can
do to minimize such risks.
Be Cautious
- Children and adults alike should be
extremely cautious about providing identifying information, such as your
home or work address, school name or location, and home or work telephone
numbers. Never share this information in a public chat room or on a bulletin
board.
- Be equally guarded about sharing other
personal information, such as age, marital status, and financial
information.
- Do not post photographs of your kids
on web sites or newsgroups that are available to the public. Be wary of
posting pictures of yourself as well.
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- Consider using a pseudonym to protect
your identity, and realize that others online may not be who they represent
themselves to be.
- Realize that everything you read
online may not be true. The web can be used for scams and propaganda as well
as for legitimate business and information.
- Protect your password. Change it
frequently and don't share it with anyone.
- Think twice about responding to -- or
even opening -- messages from people you don't know. Some viruses can be
transmitted via e-mail.
- Think more than twice about
getting together with someone you meet on line. If you do, make sure your
first meeting is in a public place. Children should never arrange
meetings with online friends without parental permission.
Be Courteous
- Don't send or post rude or insulting
messages.
- Be selective about using ALL CAPITAL
LETTERS, because it's considered the electronic equivalent of shouting.
- Don't take pictures, sound or text
from someone else's web site without their permission. You could be
infringing on copyright laws.
- Never respond to inappropriate,
suggestive, obscene, belligerent or threatening messages.
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- If you do receive such a message, it
may be effective to send a copy of the offending message to
"postmaster@whatever.com" (the postmaster for the internet service
provider) with a request that they do something about it.
- Copying the message to the account
holder with the subject left blank may be effective if the account holder's
child sent the inappropriate message. Leaving the subject blank reduces the
likelihood that the young offender will intercept the message.
Be a Savvy Consumer
- When making purchases on the internet,
know who you're doing business with. Whenever possible, stick with
reputable, established companies. Do a little research if you're unsure
about a company.
- If you use your credit card on the
internet, make sure you are sending the information to a secure server. You
should get a message or a symbol confirming that a secure server is in use
before you send your credit card number.
- Familiarize yourself with the
company's return and shipping policies before making a purchase.
- Steer clear of any web site requiring
a fee for prizes or winnings.
- Beware of games, contests and other
sites that ask for unusual amounts of personal information.
- Check out sites seeking charitable
contributions before you open up your wallet. They may or may not
legitimately represent the specified organization. Verify the site by
checking directly with the charitable organization.
- Use a virus scanner on downloaded
files before opening them.
Be an Involved Parent
 Surfing the web with your kids is a great
way to share in their interests while providing guidance and protection. Develop
rules and discuss them with your children so they understand the "why"
as well as the "how" of internet safety when they are using the
internet independently. SafeKids.Com
and SafeTeens.Com suggest excellent rules for online safety
especially for young users. In
addition to the rules posted at these sites, Safety Mom recommends one more: children should never use a credit
card online without a parent's permission.
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