Of all the advice we can offer to ensure that your kids’ use of the Internet is a positive and educational experience, there’s no doubt that the best of all is to share the experience with them. Surf the Web with your kids! You’ll probably be surprised at how much they know!
1. Find out about the privacy policy of your ISP
Your access to the Net is provided by an Internet Service Provider or ISP and it should have a
privacy policy. It is important that you are aware of it, as this policy deals with how your ISP will use the information collected about you or your children while you are browsing from your computer.
2. Establish firm rules with your children about using the Internet
Establish some clear and firm rules with your kids to control the timetable, connection time, and way of using the Internet.
Make sure they obey these rules, especially with respect to using the Internet at night.
3. Teach your children that appearances can be deceptive
On the Internet, you can’t see or hear the other users that you are connected with (unless you have a webcam), which makes it all too easy for some people to pretend to be someone else. For example, someone claiming to be a 12-year-old girl could easily be a 40-year old pedophile. With this in mind, your kids should fully understand that it is
forbidden to arrange to meet other Internet users without your permission.
4. Don’t let your kids give personal information over the Internet
Your children must understand that they must never send
personal details that could identify them: name, age, phone numbers, school or home address, etc. Also make sure that they don’t have access to credit card numbers or bank details so they can’t buy products or services on the Internet.
Recommend they use
nicknames or aliases when communicating over the Internet: kids often see that as a kind of game and it is also an excellent way of protecting their identities.
Don’t publish photographs of your kids on web pages or public forums.
5. Keep your children away from unsuitable content
Teach your children how to act when faced with offensive material: tell them not to click on any link in email messages from unknown sources. These links could point to
inappropriate sites or
download viruses that will infect your computer.
If you or your children receive a threatening message, either sexual or violent,
send a copy to your ISP and ask for help.
Delete from your computer any trace of information (browser history, email messages, documents, etc.) that you don’t want your kids to find. The example you set will be their best guide.
6. Install a good security program on your computer
It is essential for the security of your children that you install a
good security program that controls access to
inappropriate web content.
As well as offering information, Panda Software wants to help you
protect your children in practice:
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viruses (even unknown viruses), unauthorized access (
hackers), junk mail (
spam), programs that monitor your activity (
spyware), programs that redirect dialup connections (
dialers) and other Internet threats.