We all teach our children not to speak to strangers, but most of us
are still doing our best to figure out how to deal with the Internet-it's
all so new. While the Internet is a valuable reference and source of
information, it come with its own potential dangers.

To start, the Internet can expose kids to inappropriate material that's
sexual or violent in nature, and there are sites that may encourage
them to perform illegal or dangerous activities. On the Internet, a child
may be innocently looking for information for a school report, for
example, but inadvertently, while using a search engine, come across
such inappropriate material. Another risk involves talking with strangers in chat rooms and through e-mail. Pedophiles are known to lurk in chat rooms and other areas to meet unsuspecting youngsters.

Fortunately, there are preventive steps that we as parents can take. And we can all set rules that can help ensure that our child's Internet experience is a safe one.

First of all, children need to be taught to never reveal personal information while in chat rooms or communicating via e-mail. This includes such information as where they go to school, their home address, and their telephone numbers. Kids should never send pictures to people that parents don't know, or post pictures on sites without parental approval. And kids should use aliases when in chat rooms and not use their real names.

If a child receives an obscene or disturbing e-mail, teach them to inform you right away, and not respond to the e-mail or click on any links that the e-mail may provide. You as a parent may be able to forward the message to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to try and prevent the e-mail from arriving again in the future.

If a child wants to meet an online friend in-person, help make the arrangements, and be sure that the meeting occurs in a public place such as a mall or shopping center and accompany your child to the meeting. Lots of friendships and even marriages have formed through the Internet, but you always have to be careful when meeting strangers.

It's important to communicate with kids and understand the sites that they visit and what they do while on the Internet, and establish rules regarding the sites that are acceptable for them to view. Set rules on the types of files that kids may download and track the files by storing them in designated folders. Some parents share e-mail accounts with their children so they may monitor messages, and even watch over them while they are in chat rooms.

There are programs and online services that act as Internet filters to try and prevent access to inappropriate sites. While Internet filters can be useful, they aren't foolproof. For example, Internet filters can't always prevent kids from accessing sites that they shouldn't, and can prevent them from visiting valid sites. Bottom line, filtering software and online services are a viable option, but can't replace the steps outlined above.

If you suspect that your child may be visiting inappropriate sites, you can check the browser's history, which lists the sites (URLs) that have been viewed. You can check with the help for your particular browser to see how to do this.

Other Internet-related rules in the home should be tied to general computer use. Some families insist that all computers be in a central area, such as the family room, to ensure that no-one uses the computer in an inappropriate way. And many families have rules with regard to when computers may be used, for example, after homework is done, and impose limits on how long a child may use the computer per day, as well as the hours that the computer is available.

For all of the negative media, the Internet doesn't have to be a dangerous place if you take the time to communicate with kids and set and follow firm rules.

1/14/03 daytrum Editorial Staff

internet - Protecting Your Kids On the Internet