e-Safety+-+for+parents

= Hints and Tips to help Parents keep their Children Safe Online  = = ** What Parents Can Do ** = 1. Learn about the Internet If you are just starting out, see what your local library, community centre, school or newspaper offers by way of introduction. 2. Get Involved Spend time online with your child, whether at home, at the library, or at a computer centre in your community. Your involvement in your child's life, including his or her online life, is the best insurance you can have of your child's safety. 3. Stay Informed Keep yourself informed about the parental control tools that can help you keep your child safe online. This brochure includes an introduction to what currently available tools can and cannot do. 4. Become an Advocate for Kids If you see material or practices you do or do not like, contact your Internet Service Provider (the company that provides you with a connection to the Internet) or the company that created the material. Take advantage of this unique opportunity to make sure that this growing medium develops in positive ways for kids. ** Dangers/Risks ** • Easy-to-find sites with sexually explicit images and text • Easy-to-find sites promoting hatred, bigotry, violence, drugs, cults, and other things not appropriate for children • Inaccurate, misleading, and untrue information • No restrictions on marketing products such as alcohol and tobacco to children • Marketing that deceptively collects personal information from kids in order to sell products to them or their parents • Requests for personal information for contests, surveys, etc., that are used in unauthorized ways • Easy access to games with excessive violence and gender stereotypes ** Parenting Tips ** • Keep computer in family area to better monitor your child's activity • Regularly spend time online with your child to learn about his or her interests and activities • Teach your child to end any experience online when he or she feels uncomfortable or scared by pressing the back key, logging off, and telling a trusted adult as soon as possible • Establish an atmosphere of trust and understanding with your child by not blaming him or her for uncomfortable online experiences • Discuss the difference between advertising and educational or entertaining content and show your child examples of each • Establish strict rules for ordering products (and then monitor credit card bills) • "Talk back" to Internet Service Providers and content creators to let them know what you want and expect from them in keeping kids safe online ** What Parental Control Can Do ** • Block access to materials (text and pictures) identified as inappropriate for kids* • Permit access only to materials specifically approved as safe for kids* • Allow you to specify what types of materials are appropriate for your child • Help you monitor your child's activity on the Internet by storing names of sites and/or snapshots of material seen by your child on the computer for you to view later • Allow you to set different restrictions for each family member • Limit results of an Internet search to content appropriate for kids • Enforce time limits set by parents * Each control tool determines whether materials are "inappropriate" or "safe for kids" differently. Make sure you ask what criteria the tool uses and how the evaluation process works; then check out the tool yourself. ** What Can They Not Do? **  No parental control tool is 100% reliable. Not only do tools inadvertently allow access to some inappropriate material and block access to some valuable information, but savvy children may be able to get around the controls. ** Where Can I Find Them? **  There are three primary places from which parents can obtain parental control tools:- 1. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP) The best place to start is with the company that provides you with a connection to the Internet, such as America Online or Prodigy. Most offer a range of control features, often for free. 2. Your Local Computer or Retail Store Here you can buy "blocking and filtering" software, such as Cyber Patrol and CYBERsitter, that includes features similar to the ones provided by an ISP. You have to set up these products on your own computer. 3. Your Web Browser You also can use certain Web browsers, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, to enforce parental control rating systems. Keep an eye on other parental control tools, such as "safe areas" for kids, new types of rating systems, and search engines designed to find only information that has been approved for families. If you need any help or have any concerns, please feel free to Post on the Class Blog or contact Mr Wright directly and confidentially.