Protecting Your Children’s Privacy On Line

Protecting your children’s privacy is perhaps the most important reason in the world to be familiar with the steps necessary to prevent problems with privacy invasion.

While children are not necessarily targets of identity theft they are overwhelmingly susceptible to becoming targets of more insidious crimes which start with the perpetrator learning the identity of your child.

Understanding how chat rooms and email work can help parents teach children to behave safely online. While there are many programs and procedures you can use to track the activity of your children it is most important to educate them about the dangers of chatting online when you don’t know who they are talking to or who is reading what they say.

Take similar precautions when your child has a cell phone or text messaging service.

Online Forums and Chat Rooms

Does your child understand that listing their real name, address, telephone number or information like the school they attend can be potentially dangerous if the wrong person decides to get in contact with them?

Do they realize that although the forum or chat room is SUPPOSED to be for children there are possibly adults pretending to be children in order to take advantage of them?

While you do not want to unduly frighten your children it would be more terrifying if you found out that they had been in contact with a pedophile and they did not know how to tell you about it.

Give them rules. Here are some you may want to discuss with your child(ren):

1) NEVER give out your name, address, telephone number or picture. NEVER agree to meet someone you met online without your parent’s approval.

2) REMEMBER you are speaking in a public area – other people may read what you write.

3) REFUSE to enter a private chat room. These rooms are closed off to the public and your child may be lured in by an adult trying to seduce them.

4) Encourage them to TELL you what goes on. Just as you would monitor who they spend time with after school or what TV programs they watch – you want them to feel comfortable telling you about their online friends.

5) LIMIT the amount of time they spend online. While talking with friends about sports, fashion or other interests may be fun it is not wholly productive for children to spend hours online chatting. It is also more likely that they will investigate sites or forums that are unsuitable for children. Curiosity may lure them in over their heads.

6) Have the computer in a PUBLIC area of the home. This will protect your children more than any software program. Check on them occasionally just to see what they are doing.

7) INFORM them about Spam and other email that looks suspicious. If they are not sure tell them to ask you before opening it.

8) Tell them never to engage in FLAMING. Flaming is an attack on another person who is posting. It is both emotional and uncontrolled – often due to the power of anonyminity that exists online. Children have been bullied by other children from school or elsewhere (called cyberbulling) and it can be devastating. Remind your child to show manners to others and be careful how they respond.

9) Check the HISTORY of their online surfing if you are concerned. It is good to let your child know that you will occasionally check this out as a protection for them.

10) Use a POP-UP BLOCKER. Sometimes windows open up that advertise pornography or other disturbing images. Make sure you use a pop-up blocking program to protect yourself and your family from this unwelcome exposure.

Even with the previous suggestions you can further secure your child’s online experience by looking for organizations like WiredKids.org – these teams provide safe chat supervision to children and teens at WiredKidz.org and WiredTeens.org.

Not only are these areas supervised (although following the above rules is still necessary) but they teach young ones about safe communication, how to use the Internet and other methods of communications responsibly.

They also provide information on cyberbullying, cyberstalking, flaming and more. If your child has been a victim you can use their resources to find the information and support you need to fight back.

Reminder

With the age of advanced communications and technology people can learn new things, meet others and connect in ways never before imagined. It is important to respect the need for diligence to ensure these experiences are positive and worthwhile so that you and your family can enjoy these conveniences without undue risk.

Regardless of if you are protecting your financial information, personal information or your child’s identity you need to understand how this information can be abused online, through text messaging and in the real world.

Educating yourself is the first step. Passing these rules onto your children will protect them and give you peace of mind.

Incorporating steps to protect yourself and your children is a way of respecting your privacy and theirs. While we cannot combat all crimes we CAN make ourselves and our children less likely targets by always showing respect for our personal information and understanding how new technologies, like the Internet, work.