Internet Safety for Parents
While the Internet offers great access to valuable resources for our children, it also provides opportunities for criminals to exploit them. Please take time to become aware of the dangers that your child may face on the Internet. After reviewing these sites, resist the urge to unplug your computer. Rather, follow the advice to make sure that your child is safe while using the 'Net.
Tips for Parents
- Talk to your child and set clear guidelines for internet use.
- Establish a internet use agreement with your child.
- Monitor your child's internet use. Place computer in a common area where the screen is visible. Monitor all other internet-enabled devices, such as cell phones, and gaming devices.
- If your child belongs to a social forum such as MySpace.com, check their privacy settings and any postings to make sure they do not contain personal contact information or inappropriate content. Check the pages that are linked as these pages may contain inappropriate content or information that would identify your child.
- Make sure that your child understands that they must NEVER provide personal information or agree to meet someone in person.
- Make it clear to your child that they should let you know if someone says or does something that makes them uncomfortable. Many children think they may be punished or lose computer privileges it they do so.
- Enable safe searching options on your search engine.
- Consider carefully the use of webcams, chat rooms, and instant messaging.
Internet Safety Tips for Parents handout
Downloadable Tip Sheets from Netsmartz
Information about Cyber Bullying
Information About Internet Safety
- 10 Privacy Settings Every Facebook User Should Know Learn how to set the privacy settings on your Facebook page
- The Children's Partnership: The Parents Guide to the Information Superhighway Rules and tools for families online
- Common Sense Media Parent media education program with information and resources
- Cyber Criminals Most Wanted Cyber crime awareness, prevention, and safety
- Cybertipline Reporting site from the National center for Missing and Exploited Children
- Disney Online Safety Advice for parents on keeping your child safe online
- Don't Believe the Type Focuses on information for parents and guardians of teens
- Enough is Enough: Protecting Our Children Online Designed as a public awareness tool, a training manual and a "take action" plan for parents and others involved in the supervision of children
- Filter Review Information to help you find the right filtering solution
- Five Tips to Protect Children from Unsavory Content Tips for keeping kids safe online
- GetNetWise "Rules of the Road" for child safety online and some common-sense guidelines to avoid spam, malware, and protecting personal information.
- How Tech Savvy Are You? It's important that parents know what is going on in the digital world. Test this quiz to find out your tech savviness.
- iKeepSafe Parent Resource Center Activities and resources for parents
- Internet Safety: Information for Parents Tips and resources for parents
- Joe Showker's Internet Safety Portaportal Lots of valuable links
- Keeping Kids Safe From PBS Frontline, view the video "Growing Up Online" along with good information and resources
- KidShield Tools and information for keeping your child safe online.
- NetSmartz Information and activities to teach internet safety
- OnGuard Online Great information, games and videos on a wide variety of topics
- Online Predators: What Can You Do to Minimize the Risks?
- Online Safety Guide Information on the risks that children face online. Click on age-level on left side of screen for safety tips
- Parent's Guide to Internet Safety Information from the FBI
- Parent's Guide to Online Kids Provides statistics on internet use, describes various programs that kids may be using online, discusses risks, and offers tips on internet safety
- Parenting Online Useful information for parents
- SafeKids.com and SafeTeens.com Lots of information, printable resources, online safety quiz, and more
- Safe Netting and Ethics in a Digital World - From Joe Showker
- SafeSurf Information for safer use of the internet
- Teen Chat Decoder Learn what the chat abreviations and lingo really mean
- Web Wise Kids - Resources for Parents A non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring child internet safety by giving tips and advice to parents and children on how to protect themselves from online predators
- Zilladog Offers a kid-friendly website with the option for free, child safe, web based email system
Internet Filtering and Monitoring Software
Sites for Kids
Keeping Your Identity Safe
Shopping online is convenient, and it is safe as long as you use common sense and some simple precautions. Legitimate sites use measures such as encryption to safeguard your personal information. Stop by Safeshopping.org for information to help you shop smarter.
Phishing is a way of tricking you into giving out personal information. Those emails that you receive from a bank, Paypal, Ebay, etc. asking you to update your account information are just ways of gathering your personal information. DO NOT DO THIS. Even the annoying SPAM that you receive advertising Viagra and other drugs is more likely designed to collect information than sell you anything. The FDIC reports important information and tips on keeping your personal information safe in You can Fight Identity Theft
Spyware is becoming more and more prevalent. While some forms are benign and designed mainly to gather information for marketing, others are malicious and designed to gather personal information. Protect your yourself and your computer. Regularly run software designed to detect and remove spyware. Here are some free solutions that you can download.
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Site Created and Maintained by Karen Campbell, Instructional Technology Coordinator
Harrisonburg City Public Schools
Last updated April 12, 2011
