Keeping your children safe online

Ok, this has been quite an important topic recently, and once again it’s being brought into the spotlight. Now there are probably many guides out there that talk about how to protect your children while they are online, so why follow this one? Well, it’s up to you, I think you should read several as you will get a much broader view of the ways you can do this.

Let’s first look at the things which must be monitored.
Children are more tech savvy than their parents, and so you as a parent need to understand what your child uses the internet for.
1) Homework – Yeah, it does happen, however anyone who has ever searched the internet for something will know that finding what you want is hard work, and you also get dragged into some pretty nasty places. These include websites, which are sometimes pornographic in nature. These can be illegal and dangerous and are not what you want your children to see. Such material is abundant on the internet, and there is no system to check to ensure that minors do not access the content. Not only are your children at risk, but so are you, since some of these websites will damage your PC, install spyware, viruses, etc.

2) Staying in touch with friends – Either through instant messaging or social networking websites. Instant messaging (IM) is a great way to stay in touch with people, however like all things you need to be aware who has your contact information. Instant messaging often requires the use of a nickname (login name) or an e-mail address, which is then given to people you want to speak to, they add you and so you can begin chatting. Some people put their IM details on websites and so allow anyone to add them and begin contacting them. Social networking sites are websites that allow a user to communicate and share things amongst a group of friends. You add people as your friend and are then able to share pictures, video, messages, organise events, etc. All pretty handy stuff.

3) Chatrooms – Not so much now as in the past considering many have been closed down due to the danger associated with them, however, they still exist, so ensure you know if your child is using one.

So what can you do to address the issues posed by the above?

Well firstly you need to keep an eye on how your children use the internet, and I would also recommend installing some sort of internet filtering software. Now I cannot recommend any (since I have no need to filter my internet) however pcmag.com have a list of reviews of various programs and some information about parental controls, so it’s worth a look.

Content filtering can only work in protecting your children so far. You need to educate and help your children develop good practices in their use of IM and social networking sites. What people don’t realise is that you need to make your information viewable only to those you specify. Also only add people who you trust and know as friends.

So the best thing really is to make your children fully aware that by adding just anyone to MSN or Myspace, it’s just like talking to a stranger on the street, and it’s even more dangerous.