petersaville.net

Follow up on story on ABC North Coast:

We all tend to get scared when we hear about the stories of kids getting into trouble online. Parents need to realize that keeping a good dialogue with your child about their technology usage is the best tool for protecting your child. It how you manage the dialogue and discussion with your child is how well you will be able achieve safe usage of technology. Its true that there are many programs and software packages that restrict sites and offer parental controls but in all essence they only block between 60 to 80 percent of material if that. The internet is a great educational tool but unfortunately all sorts of information can be accessed and its important to realize that no longer do personal computers have a monopoly on internet access, mobile phones, PDA’s and other devices offer access to email, web, instant messaging and even video conferencing.

Putting it into perspective it should be pointed that whilst there have been some highly publicized cases of exploitation involving the Internet, but that doesn’t mean that every child will experience major problems. The vast majority of people who use the Internet do not get into serious trouble. However, I think we all have been confronted with material that is disturbing or inappropriate on the internet at some stage during our time on line. There are steps parents can take to provide a level of shielding for their children from such material, but it’s almost impossible to completely avoid all inappropriate material.

There are ten basic safety rules that parents need to impress on their children

1.I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents’ work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parents’ permission.

2. I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable.

3. I will never agree to get together with someone I “meet” online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring my mother or father along.

4.I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents.

5.I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell my parents right away so that they can contact the service provider.

6.I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.

7.I will not give out my Internet password to anyone (even my best friends) other than my parents.

8.I will check with my parents before downloading or installing software or doing anything that could possibly hurt our computer or jeopardize my family’s privacy

9.I will be a good online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law.

10.I will help my parents understand how to have fun and learn things online and teach them things about the Internet, computers and other technology.

Parents should also take an interest in technology if you have trouble understanding it, get your children to explain it or teach you what they have learn at school you’ll find it helps cement the knowledge the child has learnt at school but also makes the child feel good they are able to share their knowledge with their parents and “teach dad or mum a thing or two”. Its also important to note that if a child does come to you and tell you they are concerned about something online, that it is very important that the parent handles the matter appropriately in such a way that the child will in the future feel comfortable with reporting other issues they may come across.

But another important thing is to have a contract for responsible family use of the computer and you can download a base template from http://safekids.com/family-contract-for-online-safety/ and then sit down and discuss the pros and cons of the contract system and set consequences for breaches on both sides for both parents and children. Often you will find children respond in a positive way for having these guidelines set. But most of all whilst children should be given some privacy, many computer experts and child psychologists recommend having the computer in a public place in the house, the lounge room or another area that people walk through regularly.

As I said in the radio interview, we can install content blocking software but it really not the best protection over all protection. Parental controls and internet filtering software unfortunately, really only works if you have a good discussion with your child about internet safety and explain why the software is require and that you continue to have good dialogue with your children about internet safety.