Internet Safety And Young Children example essay topic

In today's times, it can be hard to know what you children may be doing on computer. It is sometimes upsetting and very scary to know that someone could be stalking your child without you or him ever knowing about it, until it's to late. There are programs out there that monitor your child's activities on the Internet. But where are they, how much do they cost and why aren't they advertised more? There are a couple precautions that you can take at home, without spending any money, to help safe guard your child. Children like the Internet.

They like the convenience, fun, and activities they can do on the Internet. But how safe are they really? It all depends on you and your child. When a child enters a chat room, they expect to find someone that is their own age with their interests. They may even find someone that just seems like they truly are the "perfect" friend. But beware.

Pedophiles and other undesirable people "fake" who they truly are. Your child comes to trust them, and maybe in time agrees to meet them. This can lead to really horrible and unforeseen outcomes. There are many programs out there that are designed to protect your child such as Cyber Patrol and Net Nanny. But remember that these mechanisms are not fail-safe, and may also exclude access to perfectly innocent material. There are also filtering features built into the popular web browsers that enable parents to limit access to only those sites that have been rated appropriate for children.

Some of these services can be very expensive and cannot be accurate all the time. So is it worth it? That is completely up to the individual. I feel the best way to safeguard your child is to take simple precautions at home.

First, treat the Internet as a family facility. Put the computer in a family room and take time to explore the Internet with your child. Also, make it very clear to your child what acceptable behavior on the Internet is. Set time limits for your child to access the Internet and monitor the web sites that they visit. The very best way to protect your child is to know what is going on with them.

Talk to them and explain that they need to come to you and talk if they find themselves uncomfortable or frightened while on the Internet. This will be a sure way to let them know it is okay if they find a web site they are not sure of, that you won't get mad if they come to you for advice. There are some simple rules on safe kids. com; you can post these by your computer to remind your children of the rules. 1. I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parent's work address / telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parent's 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. 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. 6. I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online.

7. I will not give out my Internet password to anyone (even my best friends) other that my parents. 8. I will be a good online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law (Safe Kids. com). This is just a brief description of the rules; they go into more detail on the actual web site and also have a contract for both you and your child to sign. These can be very helpful to your child to remember the rules and to abide by them.

You are in charge of your child's safety and it is up to you to make this environment safe for them. The same way you childproof your house when your child is first born. I hope this will help you in you search for answers and I hope you and your child will be safe.