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Internet Safety Tips
Edwardsville Kansas Police Department
INTERNET SAFETY FOR CHILDREN AND PARENTS
Guidelines for Parents or Guardians
By taking responsibility for your children’s online computer use, parents or guardians can greatly minimize any potential risks of being online. Make it a family rule to:
- Never give out identifying information – home address, school name, or telephone number – in a public message such as chat or newsgroups.
- Only deal with someone both you and your children know and trust before giving out this information via E-mail. Think carefully before revealing any personal information such as age, financial information, or marital status.
- Do not post photographs of your children in newsgroups or on web sites available to the public. Consider using a pseudonym; avoid listing your child’s name and E-mail address in any public directories and profiles.
- Get to know the Internet and any services your child uses. If you don’t know how to log on, get your child to show you. Have your child show you what he or she does online, and become familiar with all the activities available online.
- Find out if your children have free web-based, E-mail account, such as Yahoo and Hotmail. If so learn their user names and passwords on those accounts.
- Learn the places, such as school and library, where they can access those accounts.
- Never allow your child to arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they first “meet” on the Internet without an adult family member’s permission. If a meeting is arranged, make the first one in a public place, and be sure to accompany your child.
- Never respond to messages that suggestive; are obscene; are belligerent; are threatening; or make you feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.
- Encourage your children to tell you if they encounter such messages. If you or your child receives a message that is harassing, of a sexual nature, or threatening, forward a copy of the message to your ISP (Internet Service Provider), ask for their assistance.
- Instruct your child not to click on any links containing in E-mail from persons they don’t know. Such links could lead to sexually explicit or otherwise inappropriate web sites or could be a computer virus.
Internet Safety Tips For Parents
- Watch for your child spending extended lengths of time at the computer, especially during the evening hours.
- Put the family computer in places such as a den or family room, but NEVER in the child’s room.
- Read unfamiliar E-mail that your child may receive.
- Don’t let your child have an online profile, so he/she will not be listed in directories and are less likely to be approached in children’s chat rooms.
- Tell your child to never respond to rude or offensive E-mail, messages, or postings.
- Never allow face-to-face meetings with computer friends, unless parentally supervised.
- Encourage your child to report suggestive, obscene, or treating E-mail or bulletin board messages.
If someone sends you or your children messages or images that are indecent, lewd, or obscene with intent to abuse, annoy, harass, or threaten you, or if you become aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of pornographic images of children while online, immediately report this to NCMEC’s CyberTipline at 1-800- 843-5678, www.cybertipline.com, or to Detective John Henre at (913) 441-6983.
