Children internet safety

Children are the most valuable assets of any nation. Creating a better nation is in their hands. Our children are also the most vulnerable members of society. It must be a national priority to protect our children against the fear of crime and from becoming victims of crime.

The Internet can be a wonderful resource for kids. They can use it to research school reports, communicate with teachers and other kids, and play interactive games. But that access can also pose hazards to your children. Incidentally with the advances in computer and telecommunication technology our children are exposed to new sources of knowledge and cultural experiences and thereby they are vulnerable to exploitation and harm by computer-sex offenders.

Harmful and inappropriate material can come from just about everywhere on the Internet-- in an e-mail or instant message, through accidentally finding a pornographic website, in chat rooms, bulletin boards, or news groups. Various sources may bring out inappropriate content from pornography, violence, to language in the form of pictures or text. Another way is harassment. Other young people or adults may send offending material, lots of junk mail or just be a nuisance .Children may be solicited online in regards to sex. This may occur in seemingly safe situations. For example, your son or daughter might enjoy playing chess online at one of many gaming web sites. In most of these games it is possible to type conversation while playing the game. This conversation may begin innocently and then proceed over a day or weeks into sexual topics. Even more troubling are attempts of cyber stalking or stalking. This is when other children, teens, adults follow young people online or seek them out at their homes, schools, and so forth.

It is also very important to talk with your children about possible dangers on the web. Let them know what dangers are out there and to come to you if they are having a problem. .Parents should monitor the website they are visiting. Also, take an interest in what they do when they are online. Just like any safety issue, it's a good idea to talk with your kids about your concerns, take advantage of resources to protect them from potential dangers, and keep a close eye on their activities.

Make them aware of certain precautionary measures like: not giving actual personal information to strangers Choose a screen name that doesn't identify any personal information, not sharing password, not to respond to unwanted emails, not to send pictures to strangers, not to meet people from chartrooms outside. There are online tools that you can use to control your child's access to adult material and help protect your child from Internet predators Many Internet service providers (ISPs) provide parent-control options to block certain material from coming in to your child's computer here are some steps that can help you do that:

Become computer literate and learn how to block objectionable material.

Keep the computer in a common area, not in bedrooms, where you can watch and monitor your child.

Share an email account with your child so you can monitor messages.

Bookmark your child's favorite sites for easy access.

 

Spend time online together to teach your child appropriate online behavior.

Forbid your child from entering private chat rooms; block them with safety features provided by your Internet service provider or with special filtering software. Be aware that posting messages to chat rooms reveals your child's email address to others.

Monitor your credit card and phone bills for unfamiliar account charges.

Find out what, if any, online protection is offered by your child's school, after-school center, friends' homes, or any place where he or she could use a computer without your supervision.

Take your child seriously if he or she reports an uncomfortable online exchange.

Forward copies of obscene or threatening messages you or your child receives to your Internet service provider. Contact your local law enforcement agency or the FBI if your child has received child pornography via the Internet or if your child has been the victim of a computer sex offender

Parents can watch for signs like: children staying online late at night ,Excessive use of the Internet ,Closing computer applications when a parent/guardian/adult walks into the room ,Downloaded files with the suffix .jpg, .gif; .bmp, .tif, .pcx (These indicate images or pictures) ,getting Phone calls or mail from stranger .

So by following a few simple steps we can safeguard our children from harmful effects of internet and encourage them to use computers justly for beneficial purposes. By taking an active role in your child's Internet activities, you'll be ensuring that he or she can benefit from the wealth of valuable information the Internet has to offer, without being exposed to any potential dangers.