Online Safety For Kids

When you think of online safety for kids what do you think of?

Cyber bullies?

Viruses?

Identity theft?

Sexual predators?

Well in reality you should consider all of these as possibilities when your child is using the internet. The internet is founded on a basis of self regulation which is wonderful for adults who are capable of thinking things through for themselves but for children it can a totally different matter. They can very easily visit sites which are completely unsuitable for them - and do so quite innocently.

It's not just a case of steering them away from "adult" sites where they might see inappropriate images and videos. Those kinds of sites are relatively easily dealt with using software such as Safe Eyes Parental Control Suite.

Of far greater danger are sites which appear to be innocent and friendly places for your kids to visit but which are the haunt of some of the most unsavoury characters around.

Before we go any further let's take a look at the easiest option for child safety online, parental software, or parental monitoring software as it's sometimes known.

As with most things in life you get what you pay for and when it comes to protecting your kids it's definitely worth spending a few dollars more. That said even the most feature rich software is relatively inexpensive. Take the number one rated parental control software winner of the PC Magazine Editors Choice Award, the LapTop Magazine Editors Choice Award and Parents' Choice Approved - Safe Eyes Parental Control Suite.

It allows you to block access to any inappropriate web sites as it's sophisticated filters block out harmful content and it also allows you to set your own filters as well. One of it's greatest benefits though is the way it can monitor what your child is doing online by recording instant messaging and the messaging on social media sites. It will even allow for you to be alerted by text or email if they attempt to access sites you don't want them visiting.

Read more about it here.

No parent wants their child to be bullied and wouldn't tolerate it happening in the home or at school. What many of them aren't aware of though is the amount of bullying which can occur online. This, so called, cyber bullying is a frightening thing to happen to any child of any age because it reaches into so much of their life. At home in what should be their most safe environment they can still be reached by these bullies.

So what can you do about it?

Firstly, you can make sure that your child knows that it isn't their fault. They should feel able to come to you and tell you if it happens to them and to do that they have to feel comfortable that they won't be blamed for the bullying happening.

Once you have a the full story you should consider approaching the school your child attends if the bullying is by another child at the same school, and mostly it is. The school has a duty of care to your child and should have a policy in place to deal with bullying. Don't be fobbed of by any talk they may give you of it happening outside of school hours. They have a responsibility and you can point out that it's against the law and that you will involve the police if they can't or won't deal with it.

As the law is different for different countries let me point you to a couple of sites so you can get more specific advice for your location:

For the U.K. take a look at ChildLine.
For those of you in Canada there is Cyber Bullying in Canada.
In the United States of America the National Crime Prevention Council is very helpful.
And for all of you Aussies the Australian government have created CyberSmart.

While most of us tell our kids not to talk to strangers there seems to be less effort to stop our kids visiting chat rooms on the internet. And that can be possibly the worst danger that they encounter online.

You might think that just because your kids are in the house with you there to protect them they are safe to go online and chat with their "friends."

But just who are these friends?

Are they their schoolmates or are they new friends that they have met online in chatrooms or on Bebo, Facebook, MySpace or one of the other myriad social networking sites?

Most kids love to make new friends and to talk about the latest music, clothes or sport and that can be the big danger. Once they are on these sites they don't know exactly who it is they're talking to. It's sadly a fact that sexual predators frequent chatrooms with the sole intention of grooming young people for their own sick purposes.

So what can you do to protect your kids?

As before you need to build a strong relationship with your child so that they know they can trust you with their information. If you build that bond and they feel you are just taking an interest rather than questioning them they will be much happier telling you about the people they are talking to.

Some of the signs of your kid being targetted by predators is if they begin to withdraw into the online world and try and keep you out. This is a very good reason for any computer they use to go online being in a busy part of the home rather than hidden away in their bedroom.

Perhaps the best way to protect your child is to become internet aware. If you are like most parents you will be astonished how much more about the internet they know than you do but that doesn't mean you can't get up to speed. You can start by checking out the C.E.O.P. website which has some outstanding information. You can find the site at ThinkUKnow.

If you have any concerns or doubts about anyone who befriends your child online contact the Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre or the authorities in your country.