| "Cambridge Loves Its Community & Kids" |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Statistics of Internet Dangers - http://www.protectkids.com/dangers/stats.htm show
These are frightening statistics. We MUST protect our children and their friends. Please, if you do
nothing else this year, spend time in familiarizing yourself on the dangers of the internet and how to
best protect your children. At your fingertips are online safety guides, tools for families including those
that filter explicit or violent content, monitor a child's Internet access, or limit time online. There are
links to safe websites for children including kid friendly search engines, lists of safe email and chat
sites for children and how to identify and report trouble on the internet.
- 13 million youth use Instant Messaging.
- One in five children who use computer chatrooms has been approached over the Internet by
pedophiles. - 89% of sexual solicitations were made in either chat rooms or Instant Messages.
- Nine out of 10 children between the ages of 8 to 16 have viewed pornography on the Internet.
In most cases, the sex sites were accessed unintentionally when a child, often in the process of
doing homework, used a seemingly innocent sounding word to search for information or pictures
These are frightening statistics. We MUST protect our children and their friends. Please, if you do
nothing else this year, spend time in familiarizing yourself on the dangers of the internet and how to
best protect your children. At your fingertips are online safety guides, tools for families including those
that filter explicit or violent content, monitor a child's Internet access, or limit time online. There are
links to safe websites for children including kid friendly search engines, lists of safe email and chat
sites for children and how to identify and report trouble on the internet.
Quick safety tips for children of all ages
- Never fill out questionnaires or any forms online or give out personal
information. - Never agree to meet in person with anyone you have met online.
- Never tell anyone online where you will be or what you will be doing
without Mom and/or Dad's permission. - Never mention the name of your school or even another local school.
- Never respond to or send e-mail to new people you meet online.
- Never send a picture over the Internet or via regular mail to anyone
you've met on the Internet. - Never respond to any belligerent or suggestive contact or anything
that makes you feel uncomfortable. - Always tell Mom and/or Dad about something you saw that is
upsetting.
| Specific Tips For the 5-7 year olds For the 8-10 year olds For the 11-13 year olds For the 14-17 year olds |
Quick safety tips for parents
- Become more computer literate and develop Internet savvy.
- Watch for changes in your child's behavior (mention of adults or children you don't know, secretiveness, inappropriate
sexual knowledge, sleeping problems, etc.). - Place your computer in an area of your home where you can easily monitor your child's Internet activity. LOOK at the
monitor often. - Talk with your kids about their online friends and activities.
- Implement parental controls available on your online service, install protective software on your home computer, or use a
filtered ISP. - Monitor the amount of time your child spends on the Internet.
- Establish online rules and sign an agreement with your child about Internet use while at home or away from home.
- Warn your children that people may not be what they seem to be. I can say I'm a 12 year old boy named Billy but I'm not.
The Internet provides a cover for people to put on whatever persona's they desire. Predators often pose as children to
gain our children's trust. - Don't give out your passwords or store them where they can be found: remember that those who control the passwords
control the world. - Don't store your credit card information on your computer. As inconvenient as it might be to have to access it from
somewhere else, it creates too much of a temptation for computer-savvy kids and their friends. By the way, don't be
afraid of using your credit cards online, as long as you follow certain safety rules. - Do not allow your children to have email accounts unless you know the passwords and monitor their emails regularly.
Great sites to begin your research
Federal Bureau of Investigation - A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
A Program of WiredSafety: The World's Largest Internet Safety, Help and
Education Organization
http://www.wiredkids.org/wiredkids_org.html
Start with internet 101 – Learn all about technological tools and so much more. http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/default.
AspxInteractive, educational safety resource that teaches kids and teens how to stay safer on the Internet.
http://www.netsmartz.org/
"One click away" from tips on kids' safety, spam, privacy, and computer security.
http://kids.getnetwise.org/
CyberAngels - Their mission is to function as a "virtual 411" safety destination, and to address the concerns of parents, the
needs of children, on-line abuse and cyber crime, while supporting the right of free speech.
http://www.cyberangels.org/
Child Safety on the Information Highway.
http://www.safekids.com/child_safety.htm
Terrific interactive site for kids.
http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey/kids/planning/safety.html
One of the best web guide for kids. Learn all about blocking & filtering, browsers for kids and much more.
http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/parents/
Need to learn more about parental controls
This site has good explanations. http://www.myparentalcontrolsfinder.com
Software Programs
There are many programs available for monitoring your children. Listed here is only a few of them.
Net Nanny - http://www.netnanny.com Net Nanny 5.1 says "the only parental control software that includes family-safe filtered
search, an Internet monitor, web site filtering, time limits, chat recording, newsgroup blocking, and privacy controls". The
parent uses the Administration Program to set passwords and configure the software. Updates to the dictionary of adult sites
are free. A 15 day free trial version of Net Nanny can be downloaded from their Web site.
Cybersitter - http://www.cybersitter.com CYBERsitter says: "provider 30 categories of filtering making it the most complete
Internet filter available. Filters are updated automatically, and there are no subscription charges. A sophisticated "content
recognition" system recognizes and blocks new objectionable web sites even before we know about them". Winner of PC
Magazine's Editor's Choice Award - 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004. Has free 10 day trial version plus 30 day money back
guarantee.
Parents tool for AIM (AOL instant messenger) - http://www.parent-tools.com Parent Tools comes loaded with powerful tools to
monitor all chat and instant message conversations from any screen name on your computer. Saved conversations are
hidden, compressed, and encrypted for maximum security."
Guardian Monitor Standard or Professional - http://www.guardiansoftware.com Monitor your child's internet usage Complete
IM/Chat, Email Monitoring. PC Magazine Award 2003."
Content Protect - http://www.contentwatch.com/index.php
Service companies providing internet protection
Netopia - http://www.netopia.com/products/pc/ Netopia's powerful and easy-to-use Parental Controls service lets you take
control of the Internet in your home - without being a computer expert!
Net Mop - http://www.netmop.com/ A service that does filtering, blocking etc. Risk free trial available.
Federal Bureau of Investigation - A Parent's Guide to Internet Safety
http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm
A Program of WiredSafety: The World's Largest Internet Safety, Help and
Education Organization
http://www.wiredkids.org/wiredkids_org.html
Start with internet 101 – Learn all about technological tools and so much more. http://www.bewebaware.ca/english/default.
AspxInteractive, educational safety resource that teaches kids and teens how to stay safer on the Internet.
http://www.netsmartz.org/
"One click away" from tips on kids' safety, spam, privacy, and computer security.
http://kids.getnetwise.org/
CyberAngels - Their mission is to function as a "virtual 411" safety destination, and to address the concerns of parents, the
needs of children, on-line abuse and cyber crime, while supporting the right of free speech.
http://www.cyberangels.org/
Child Safety on the Information Highway.
http://www.safekids.com/child_safety.htm
Terrific interactive site for kids.
http://webmonkey.wired.com/webmonkey/kids/planning/safety.html
One of the best web guide for kids. Learn all about blocking & filtering, browsers for kids and much more.
http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/parents/
Need to learn more about parental controls
This site has good explanations. http://www.myparentalcontrolsfinder.com
Software Programs
There are many programs available for monitoring your children. Listed here is only a few of them.
Net Nanny - http://www.netnanny.com Net Nanny 5.1 says "the only parental control software that includes family-safe filtered
search, an Internet monitor, web site filtering, time limits, chat recording, newsgroup blocking, and privacy controls". The
parent uses the Administration Program to set passwords and configure the software. Updates to the dictionary of adult sites
are free. A 15 day free trial version of Net Nanny can be downloaded from their Web site.
Cybersitter - http://www.cybersitter.com CYBERsitter says: "provider 30 categories of filtering making it the most complete
Internet filter available. Filters are updated automatically, and there are no subscription charges. A sophisticated "content
recognition" system recognizes and blocks new objectionable web sites even before we know about them". Winner of PC
Magazine's Editor's Choice Award - 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004. Has free 10 day trial version plus 30 day money back
guarantee.
Parents tool for AIM (AOL instant messenger) - http://www.parent-tools.com Parent Tools comes loaded with powerful tools to
monitor all chat and instant message conversations from any screen name on your computer. Saved conversations are
hidden, compressed, and encrypted for maximum security."
Guardian Monitor Standard or Professional - http://www.guardiansoftware.com Monitor your child's internet usage Complete
IM/Chat, Email Monitoring. PC Magazine Award 2003."
Content Protect - http://www.contentwatch.com/index.php
Service companies providing internet protection
Netopia - http://www.netopia.com/products/pc/ Netopia's powerful and easy-to-use Parental Controls service lets you take
control of the Internet in your home - without being a computer expert!
Net Mop - http://www.netmop.com/ A service that does filtering, blocking etc. Risk free trial available.