Children and Internet Safety: Put Your Child On A Internet Safety Contract

Thirty years ago, computer use was considered to be a luxury by most Americans.  Today, 55 million children use a computer to use the Internet on a weekly basis.  The computer Internet service has provided many of our schools and homes with a great tool to help our students improve their academic performance.  The World Wide Web provides our children with instant access to information regarding current news events, historical facts, mathematical solutions, foreign language resources, spelling and grammar help and hundreds of other academic information all just a click away!



What about the Internet dangers that includes cyberbullies, online predators and sexually explicit materials?    The Parent Coach Plan provides parents with Behavior Contract for Teens or Behavior Contracts for Youth that will help you and your child come up with a safety agreement while surfing the Internet.

Positive Child Internet Use 

The Internet has not only provided business, research, communication and networking by adults around the world, it has allowed our children to improve that academic performance at an astounding rate.  The following are just some of the advantages that the Internet provides our children:

• Information & Fact Finding
• Research
• Reading
• Problem-solving
• Communication
• Arts and Design
• Study Skills
• Networking
• Problem Solving
• Critical Thinking Skills
  

These positive services provided by the Internet have allowed many of our students to become more independent and creative thinkers.  This process promotes positive self-esteem and personal growth. 

Online Internet Dangers: Put Your Child on an Internet Contract

According to one national survey done by the NAC, 93% of parents report that they are aware of where and how their children use the Internet.  Yet only 62% of middle school students and 42 of high school students stated that they tell their parents where and what they do on the Internet.  The following are the most common concerns that parents need to become aware of when they allow their child to use the Internet.

Child development experts recommend placing children using the internet on a plan or internet use contract.  The contract should include some or all of the safety tips recommented by the U.S. government:



There are some very important things that you need to keep in mind when you allow your child  to use the computer at home or at school.  The following tips should be written into an internet safety contract or behavior plans.

    * First, remember never to give out personal information such as your name, home address, school name, or telephone number in a chat room or on bulletin boards. Also, never send a picture of yourself to someone you chat with on the computer without your parent's permission.

    * Never write to someone who has made you feel uncomfortable or scared.

    * Do not meet someone or have them visit you without the permission of your parents.

    * Tell your parents right away if you read anything on the Internet that makes you feel uncomfortable.

    * Remember that people online may not be who they say they are. Someone who says that "she" is a "12-year-old girl" could really be an older man.

Children Online: Signs That Your Child Is Not Safe

Computers opens a whole new world of possibilities for children. As they begin to expanding their horizons on the computer, children are exposed to different cultures and ways of life. They can also be exposed to dangers as they hit the road exploring the information highway. There are individuals who attempt to sexually exploit children through the use of on-line services and the Internet. Some of these individuals gradually seduce their targets through the use of attention, affection, kindness, and even gifts.

These individuals are often willing to devote considerable amounts of time, money, and energy in this process. They listen to and empathize with the problems of children. These are aware of the latest music, hobbies, and interests of children. They gradually, over time, lower children's inhibitions by slowly introducing sexual context and content into their conversations.

Signs That Your Child Is Not Safe Online

• Your child spends large amounts of time on-line, especially at night.


• You find pornography on your child's computer.


• Your child receives phone calls from men you don't know.


• Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen when you enter the room.


• Your child becomes withdrawn.


• Your child is using an on-line account belonging to someone else.

What To Do If You Suspect Your Child Is Not Safe Online

• Consider talking openly with your child about your suspicions. Tell them about the dangers of computer-sex offenders.


• Review what is on your child's computer. If you don't know how, ask a friend, coworker, relative, or other knowledgeable person. Pornography or any kind of sexual communication can be a warning sign.


• Use the Caller ID service to determine who is calling your child. Most telephone companies that offer Caller ID also offer a service that allows you to block your number from appearing on someone else's Caller ID.


• Telephone companies also offer an additional service feature that rejects incoming calls that you block. This rejection feature prevents computer-sex offenders or anyone else from calling your home anonymously.


• Devices can be purchased that show telephone numbers that have been dialed from your home phone. Additionally, the last number called from your home phone can be retrieved provided that the telephone is equipped with a redial feature. You will also need a telephone pager to complete this retrieval. The last number called from that phone will then be displayed on the pager.Monitor your child's access to all types of live electronic communications (i.e., chat rooms, instant messages, Internet Relay Chat, etc.), and monitor your child's e-mail.


• Computer-sex offenders almost always meet potential victims via chat rooms. Be very cautious of allowing your child to enter a chat room.
  

Internet: How To Keep Children Safe

Internet Tips To Share With Your Children

Parents who are concerned about their child’s use of the Internet need to have a discussion that includes the following talking points:

• NEVER give out your full name, your telephone number, name of your school or your address over the Internet unless you have permission.
  
• NEVER arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone you meet online. Be careful if you receive e-mail messages or files from a stranger --ALWAYS let us open them first. Sometimes web sites ask you to send in material for them to post online.
  
• ALWAYS check with me before sending a photo or anything you've written to someone you don't know.
  
• ALWAYS let me know if you see bad language or something that makes you feel uncomfortable online.
  
• ALWAYS see and tell me before clicking on links to other sites (including ads).
  
• NEVER buy anything online or give out credit card information without my permission.

Let your child know that the Internet is a great place to communicate, seek information and make our lives easier to live.

Also tell your child that the Internet can be unsafe or even dangerous. Depending on your child age, provide your child with the Internet information that is presented in this category.

Children, Internet and Dangers

My Child and The Internet

Thirty years ago, computer use was considered to be a luxury by most Americans. Today, 55 million children use a computer to use the Internet on a weekly basis. The computer Internet service has provided many of our schools and homes with a great tool to help our students improve their academic performance.

The World Wide Web provides our children with instant access to information regarding current news events, historical facts, mathematical solutions, foreign language resources, spelling and grammar help and hundreds of other academic information all just a click away! What about Internet dangers that includes cyberbullies, online predators and sexually explicit materials? ScottCounseling provides parents with information that will help you keep your child safe while surfing the Internet.

Positive Child Internet Use

The Internet has not only provided business, research, communication and networking by adults around the world, it has allowed our children to improve that academic performance at an astounding rate. The following are just some of the advantages that the Internet provides our children:

· Information & Fact Finding
· Research
· Reading
· Problem-solving
· Communication
· Arts and Design
· Study Skills
· Networking
· Problem Solving
· Critical Thinking Skills

These positive services provided by the Internet have allowed many of our students to become more independent and creative thinkers. This process promotes positive self-esteem and personal growth.

Online Dangers

According to one national survey done by the NAC, 93% of parents report that they are aware of where and how their children use the Internet. Yet only 62% of middle school students and 42 of high school students stated that they tell their parents where and what they do on the Internet. The following are the most common concerns that parents need to become aware of when they allow their child to use the Internet.

How To Protect Children When They Use The Internet

Here are some ways that parents can protect their children:

1. The computer needs to be in a family room, not in the child’s bedroom.

2. Parents should get computer smart and learn how the internet functions.

3. Be aware of your child’s use of the computer.

4. Ask your children about their online friends.

5. Obtain programs that will block undesirable, “adult” sites.

6. Pedophiles use teen and preteen chat rooms to prey on children. Do not let your child enter any personal information in a chat environment. Chat rooms allow for one on one conversations... do not permit your children to engage in such conversations.

7. Be sure your child reports anything unusual that they observe on the internet, and, certainly never to answer any rude or offensive e-mails or messages.

8. Be sure your child knows that it is very dangerous to actually meet anyone that they have talked with on the internet.

9. Do not allow your child to send or receive any pictures on the internet from anyone not personally known to you.

10. Do not allow your child any “late night” sessions on the internet.

MySpace Dangers

Suddenly, MySpace is everywhere. It is discussed on TV and in newspapers, and is the subject of many concerned conversations. This online phenomenon has enjoyed an explosive level of growth recently, and every day countless teens and younger children create their very own "space" on the Internet. In itself, this sounds harmless enough - so what exactly are the dangers of MySpace, and what can you do to protect your children?

Danger One: the written content on MySpace.
The MySpace pages aren't censored, and it shows. The language on most of the pages is colorful to say the least. Do you really want your children to see all those four-letter words? But it's not just the swearing that's problematic, it's the subject, too. Many MySpace pages talk about drinking and drugs, and references to "adult" subject matters abound. Worse still, some pages have very dark undertones and talk about suicide and self-harming. Rest assured, you do not want your children to read this.

Danger Two: the images on MySpace.
Many of the images posted on MySpace are sexually suggestive. Even if your child hasn't posted a lightly clad photo of herself, you can safely assume that she has seen countless such pictures of other people. Videos are posted, too, and sometimes these are graphic enough to frighten young children - it only took us a minute to find a video of mistreated farm animals, for example.

Danger Three: MySpace predators.
Because many children and teens post a lot of information about themselves, MySpace is a haven for sexual predators. Anyone can do a search for their local high school and see the details of dozens of girls. Hobbies, interests, date of birth, hair color, friends and much more is often listed for anyone to see. If your child were to post that she's going to be somewhere at a particular time and date, it would be frighteningly easy for someone else to wait for her there.

Danger Four: unsuitable friends on MySpace
The people your children meet online do not have to be criminals or predators to be unsuitable. In real life, you tend to meet your children's friends, giving you the chance to decide whether or not they're the kind of people you want your children to spend time with. On MySpace, they could meet anyone at all and you have no idea. Do you want your 12-year old daughter to have 18-year-old male friends, no matter how innocent she claims it is? Your children are too young to make informed decisions - they need your help.

Danger Five: bad behavior on MySpace
Sometimes, the problem isn't other people - it's your child. Imagine if your son were to threaten to kill someone online, and they then happened to get hurt? Or if he bragged about wanting to burn down the school? As a parent, you need to ensure that this isn't taking place, because if the worst were to happen there could be legal ramifications.