Internet Monitoring

The Internet is a great place to gather information and many children use the internet for both school work and pleasure (smile). As parents, we need to look at the internet as if it were a large community and in any given community there are people, places and things that you really need to be mindful of and careful around. Also as parents, we need to be aware of what are children are doing while online. It is important to talk to your child about online predators, certain websites and chat rooms.

By alerting our children to the dangers that lurk on the internet and teaching them how to avoid them, they can take advantage of all the positive aspects of the Internet while avoiding most of its pitfalls.

Here are some safety tips to consider as you guide your children online:

*Create a list of Internet rules with your child. You should include the kinds of sites that are off limits, Internet hours, and guidelines for communicating with others online, including in chat rooms and instant messenger.

* Teach your child to never to give out personal information without your permission when using e-mail, chat rooms, or instant messaging, filling out registration forms and personal profiles, and entering online contests.

*Investigate Internet Monitoring/Parental Control Software. This is software that can be safely installed on your pc that will monitor the sites that are visited and can even keep a log of what is typed into e-mail, search engines and instant messenger.

*Make sure your child checks with you before making financial transactions online, including ordering, buying, or selling items.