General Guidelines for Keeping Kids and Teens Safe Online

 

1. Place your child's computer in a shared location, such as a dining room or living room. This will make it easier for you to keep track of what your children are doing on the Internet.
2. Keep track of which sites your kids' visit. If you have young children, explore the Internet together. If you have older children, talk to them about the sites they visit and discuss what is acceptable and not acceptable in your family. You can find a list of the sites your child visits in the browser history. In addition, you can take advantage of inappropriate content blocking tools such as Google Safe Search or YouTube Safe Mode.
3. Teach children about online safety. You won't be able to keep track of what your kids are doing online. They need to learn how to use the Internet on their own in a safe and responsible manner.
4. Install antivirus protection. Use and update your free antivirus software regularly. Teach children not to download files from file-sharing sites, and also not to accept files or download attachments in emails from strangers.
5. Teach children to behave responsibly online. Remember the golden rule: what you would not say to a person in person should not be sent to him via MS, e-mail, chat, or post in the comments on his page on the web.
6. Evaluate online content critically. What the Internet contains is not always true. Children need to learn to distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources of information and to verify the information they find on the Internet. Also, explain to the children that copying and pasting content from other people's websites can be considered plagiarism.
7. If you need expert advice on safe Internet use or if your child has already faced risks on the Internet, contact the Children Online.

Five Rules for Safe Email Use:

1. Never open suspicious messages or email attachments received from strangers. Instead, remove them immediately by choosing a command from the messages menu.
2. Never reply to spam.
3. Use a spam filter from your Internet service provider or email program (if you have an Internet connection).
4. Create a new or use a family email address for Internet inquiries, discussion forums, and more.
5. Never forward "happiness letters". Instead, delete them immediately.

How Much Time Can a Child Spend at the Computer?

All parents, for sure, often say that their children spend a lot of time on their homework or that their children walk little and mostly sit at home. Therefore, parents are unlikely to be surprised by the results of studies showing that children spend too much time at the computer. Parents need to pay special attention to this issue. For today's children, the computer has replaced many different activities. This machine helps them with their homework, and, if necessary, provides telephone services, "playground", music and video services and other entertainment.

Your concerns should depend on how your child is using their computer time and how much time they have left for other activities and entertainment. If your child, when waking up in the morning or running home after school, first turns on the computer and sits at it until he goes to bed, you are likely to have problems.

Very young children under the age of five should not spend a lot of time at the computer. Developing cognitive abilities and learning other activities is vital to them. Children 10 years of age must combine the computer with other activities. When it comes to early school age, it is difficult to say exactly how much time a child should spend on a computer, because at this age, children are very different in development. Some kids try to go to the chat anytime they want (like those of us adults who like to chat on the phone). Others are attracted by the computer itself: curricula, the creation of web pages, the design of the computer.

Our advice is to closely monitor your child's behavior. Any changes in his behavior will be the best indicator of negative phenomena that should alert you. For example, if a child stops communicating with friends, playing sports, or just going out, or his school performance has dropped sharply - you should analyze all this. If your child is withdrawn or unsociable, then you should take seriously your child's fascination with the computer. Therefore, the solution to the issue of the time limit spent by your child at the computer depends, first of all, on yourself, taking into account that you will closely monitor the child's behavior and have a good idea of ​​what exactly the child uses the computer for.

At What Age Can a Child Be Allowed to Use Their Own Email?

There is no hard age limit. The simplest answer: you can admit your child to e-mail if he expresses a desire to communicate with someone in a fashionable way. Before registering a mailbox, invite him to use yours first and write under supervision, for example, to your brother or best friend.

Email is great because it overcomes all geographic and age barriers. As a rule, children become ready to use e-mail from 7-8 years of age.

Should You Use a Child's Online Behavior Monitoring Program?

Parents, in general, have not yet come to a consensus on this issue and, as a rule, are divided into two camps. One side believes that control over behavior gives children a guarantee of safety, while others categorically object to them that it is tantamount to organizing surveillance of children.

Monitoring programs are designed to know exactly what your child is doing on the Internet. They allow you to keep a record of the addresses your child visits on the Internet. There are even known cases when the maintenance of such records helped law enforcement officials.

Apparently, the conclusion can be as follows. If you decide to put your child's computer activities under control, you should inform him. If you control your child without his knowledge, you are really spying on him. Chances are, if you tell your child that you have installed a monitoring program for his own safety, he will understand you. Finally, remember that your main goal is to educate a young person who will be able to use the Internet correctly, even if no one controls it.