INTERNET SAFETY
Children today have more access to the world than the generations before them. This opportunity is usually beneficial but can also be potentially dangerous. The Internet allows access to people who are not what they seem. It allows access to inappropriate material and contact with people acting inappropriately. If not monitored, our children can put themselves at risk without even knowing it.
Below are some helpful websites parents can use to educate themselves about the dangers and help monitor their children's internet usage:
- parentalsoftware.org
- safekids.com
- safeteen.com
- netsmartz411.org
- isafe.org
- nsopr.gov (the National Sex Offender registry)
- familywatchdog.us
- getnetwise.org
- missingkids.com/cybertip
- netlingo.com (for definitions of texting acronyms)
Copy and paste the link into your web browser to view each website.
It is recommended that you become familiar with SnapChat, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Do frequent searches to see if your children have their own pages and check what personal information they are sharing on those pages. If your child has created a page under a false name, this will make your search more difficult.
Set rules and talk to your children. And if need be, install parental control software as another means of monitoring their internet usage.
It is also recommended that you and your child sign an Online Safety Agreement. See http://safekids.com/kids-rules-for-online-safety/ for ideas regarding this.
This information was borrowed from the City of Glendale Police Department's School Resource Officer, John Gscheidmeier
You can also find information about internet safety at the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website by clicking here.