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Online Safety Information for Parents and Kids
While opening up a world of information and resources, surfing online requires education and awareness to stay safe. The Internet opens up new avenues for fraud and exploitation. It is important for kids and teens to know what to look out for to avoid these pitfalls. For parents, it is vital to be knowledgeable about online dangers, aware of you child's Internet activities, and above all, vigilant.
The Pinellas County Department of Justice and Consumer Services has compiled some important links for kids, teens, and parents below. Parents, please make sure that you and your child take the time to be informed.
NetSmartz Online Safety Tips:
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Clear, simple, easy-to-read house rules should be posted on or near the monitor.
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Keep the computer in the family room or another open area of your home.
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Look into safeguarding programs or options your online service provider might offer. These may include monitoring or filtering capabilities.
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Web sites for children are not permitted to request personal information without a parent's permission. Talk to children about what personal information is and why you should never give it to people online.
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If children use chat or e-mail, talk to them about never meeting in person with anyone they first "met" online.
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Talk to children about not responding to offensive or dangerous e-mail, chat, or other communications. Report any such communication to local law enforcement. Do not delete the offensive or dangerous e-mail; turn off the monitor, and contact local law enforcement.
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Let children show you what they can do online, and visit their favorite sites.
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Know who children are exchanging e-mail with, and only let them use chat areas when you can supervise. NetSmartz recommends limiting chatroom access to child-friendly chat sites.
- Be aware of any other computers your child may be using.
- Children should not complete a profile for a service provider and children's screennames should be nondescript so as not to identify that the user is a child.
Links for parents:
Links for Kids:
Links for Teens:
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