Internet Safety

While Internet exploration opens a world of possibilities for our children, it can also present a number of risks to them.  The false pretenses established when children feel their actions are anonymous creates an unrealistic and almost pretend environment for children.  Parents can minimize the prospective online risks by taking some necessary precautions. 

GENERAL DEFINITIONS

Blog: an online personal diary

Gamer: someone who plays online or computer games.

On-line Profile: may contain personal information such as a child’s email, interests, and hobbies.  Examples can be found on MySpace, Facebook, Xanga, Twitter, etc.

Screen name: the name a participant uses to represent himself/herself online.

Social networking sites:  a website specifically focused on the building and verifying of social networks.  Many social networking services are also blog hosting services. 
Examples include: MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

SAFETY TIPS

By educating your children of these dangers and taking appropriate steps to protect them, they can benefit from the wealth of information now available online!

For Parents:

• Look into safeguarding programs or options your online service provider might offer.  These may include monitoring or filtering capabilities.
• Always read a web site’s privacy policy before giving any personal information.  Also make sure that a web site offers a secure connection before giving credit-card information.
• Web sites for children are not permitted to request personal information without a parent’s permission.  Talk to your children about what personal information is and why you should never give it to people online.
• If children use chat or email, talk to them about never meeting in person with anyone they first met on-line.
• Talk to children about not responding to offensive or dangerous email, chat, or other communications.  Report any such communication to local law enforcement.  Do not delete the offense or dangerous email; turn off the monitor, and contact local law enforcement.
• Keep the computer in the family room or another open area of your home.
• Know who your children are exchanging email with, and only let them use chat areas when you can supervise.
• Be aware of any other computers your child may be using
• Internet accounts should be in parent’s names with parent’s having the primary screen name, controlling passwords, and using blocking and or filtering devices.
• Children should not complete a profile for a service provider and children’s screen names should not be descriptive so as to not identify that the user is a child.
• Talk to your children about what they do if they see something that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused.  Remind children to tell a trusted adult if they see something that bothers them online.

The Wood County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to keeping our children safe while using the Internet.  The C.Y.C.L.E. Division is willing to provide any assistance to parents, schools, children or law enforcement regarding Internet Safety and the use of Social Networking Sites.  For more information, please contact Christy Snyder.