Child Abuse: Eight Ways To Help A Child To Surf the Web Safely
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I thought that the following information and advice, given by the
UK's child protection charity, the National Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), might be useful for
parents visiting this hub.
It relates to measures that parents can adopt to guide their
children about the use of the internet, chat-rooms, social networking
sites, and so on.
The location of NSPCC's advice (from where I copied the following information) is:
http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/action.retrievestaticpage.do?ea_static_page_id=434
NSPCC's main website is also well worth a visit:
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The internet is a powerful tool. It’s fun. It’s social. It’s educational. Used correctly it will stay that way. So if you want to know more information on how children can surf in safety visit: www.thinkuknow.co.uk where you’ll find everything you want to know about the internet but were afraid to ask! If you are concerned about someone’s behaviour on-line towards a child, you can report this to the Child Exploitation and On-line Protection (CEOP) Centre at www.ceop.police.uk
As you would protect your child in the real world it’s equally important to protect them in the virtual world. Helping your child understand the risks will mean they use the internet responsibly and - most importantly – safely.
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1.
Never give out personal details.
Help your children to understand that they should never give out personal details to on-line friends they do not know off-line.
2. Explain to your children what information about them is personal.
Email address, mobile number, school name, sports club,
arrangements for meeting up with friends and any pictures or videos
of themselves, their family or friends – are all personal
information. These small pieces of information can easily be pieced
together to form a comprehensive insight into their lives and daily
activities.
3. Think carefully about the information and pictures.
Make your children aware that once information or images are
published on-line, anyone can change or share these details and
images.
4. The internet is not a private space.
It can be easy to forget this and as a result sometimes young
people engage in risky behaviour online. Advise your children not to
post any pictures, videos or information on their profiles, or in
chat rooms, that they would not want a parent or carer to see.
5. Do not believe or respond to spam.
If your child receives spam or junk email and texts, remind them
never to believe their contents, reply to them or use them.
6. Do not open files from people you don’t know.
Your child won't know what they contain - it could be a virus, or
worse - an inappropriate image or film.
7. Some people lie on-line.
Help your child to understand this and that therefore it's better
to keep on-line friends on-line. They should never meet up with any
strangers without an adult they trust.
8. Always keep communication open.
That way your child will know that it's never too late to tell someone if something makes them feel uncomfortable.
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