Children's safety online is of paramount importance these days.
Internet use has soared in recent years, and increased mobility means
children of all ages are exposed to danger from an increasing number of
sources.
As a busy parent, it is often difficult to adequately
monitor and protect what your children see and do on the Internet, so
here are some tips to help ensure that your child's Internet experience
is a positive one.
Set Realistic Boundaries
Internet safety is not an issue that has a one-size-fits-all
solution. Rules about Internet usage should be appropriate to the
circumstances at hand and tailored to fit your child's age and maturity
level.
Let your children know your expectations and rules for
Internet usage, set age-appropriate limits, and have reasonable and
realistic consequences in place for infractions.
Stay active,
informed, and involved about Internet trends so that you have a
realistic basis for setting limits and the actions you take with regard
to Internet access and usage in your family.
Take Calm and Rational Approach
It is important that parents keep the issue of Internet safety in
context. While incidents of cyber-bullying and online predators make big
headlines, statistics show that youth are no more at risk now than they
have been since the advent of free and widespread Internet use.
If
your child does come to you with a problem or a question, don't
overreact to the situation. Calmly discuss the problem with your child
and enlist their help in finding a solution. This teaches children to
handle problems rationally so that they can learn to handle conflict on
their own.
As much as we would like to always be there to protect
our children, over-protection does them no favors. They are out there,
in the real world and in cyberspace, and they must learn to detect and
handle potentially hazardous situations.
Communication is Key
The best time to deal with a situation is before it happens. Keep an
open and ongoing dialogue with your child about potential hazards and
safety risks. Let them know, with your words as well as your actions,
that they can discuss their concerns with you without fear.
Your
child should know, in a matter of fact manner, that situations may arise
that can put them at risk, and what they can to do protect themselves,
and what to do if they feel threatened.
Trust Your Children
Learn to trust your child, as well as your instincts. Whether they
show it or not, your children do listen. As long as you let them know
the potential dangers that are out there, set appropriate limits, and
keep an open dialogue with them where they feel free to express their
concerns, trust that they can handle many situations that they
encounter, and that they know they can come to you, without fear, for
help with the situations that can't.
Help is there, even when you can't be. Despite our best efforts,
and we can't always be there to protect our children or know every
possible risk. Intelispy is the ultimate child Internet safety kit.
While there is no substitute for ongoing communication and education,
this product allows parents to have the peace of mind that comes from
knowing that their children are protected even when they can't be there.
Reduce the risk to your child's safety while they're online.