Hello,
With the Winter Break upon us and the likelihood of technology being a part of the break we wanted to provide you with some basic Internet Safety information.
Dr. Tynan
Basic guidelines to share with your kids for safe online use:
- Follow the family rules, and those set by the Internet service provider.
- Never post or trade personal pictures.
- Never reveal personal information, such as address, phone number, or school name or location.
- Use only a screen name and don’t share passwords (other than with parents).
- Never agree to get together in person with anyone met online without parent approval and/or supervision.
- Never respond to a threatening email, message, post, or text.
- Always tell a parent or other trusted adult about any communication or conversation that was scary or hurtful.
- Don’t talk to strangers on the Internet
- Don’t fill in a profile that asks for your name and address
- Don’t visit a chat room without an adult’s / parent’s permission
- Don’t stay online if you see something you think your parents won’t like
- Don’t post pictures of yourself without your parents’ permission
- Do not download or install anything on your computer without your parents’ permission
- If you have any questions about something you read, ask your parent or guardian
Basic guidelines for parental supervision:
- Spend time online together to teach your kids appropriate online behavior.
- Keep the computer in a common area where you can watch and monitor its use, not in individual bedrooms. Monitor any time spent on smartphones or tablets.
- Bookmark kids’ favorite sites for easy access.
- Check your credit card and phone bills for unfamiliar account charges.
- Find out what, if any, online protection is offered by your child’s school, after-school center, friends’ homes, or any place where kids could use a computer without your supervision.
- Take your child seriously if he or she reports an uncomfortable online exchange.
Watch for warning signs of a child being targeted by an online predator. These can include:
- spending long hours online, especially at night
- phone calls from people you don’t know
- unsolicited gifts arriving in the mail
- your child suddenly turning off the computer when you walk into the room
- withdrawal from family life and reluctance to discuss online activitie