Online Safety 

As young people spend more time online and use other electronic devices like cell phones for communication, there is a real danger that they can become involved with inappropriate communication. Electronic bullying is increasingly becoming a problem with young people around the world, and incidences of young people sending and downloading inappropriate images, messages or other files are becoming more frequent. With the distance that electronic communication places between people, it can be too easy for young people to think they are acting anonymously or that others don’t experience things emotionally.

 As parents, we owe it to our children to talk with them about being safe and acting appropriately and legally while online. There are plenty of resources and guides to parents – I am more than willing to send more detailed information to anyone who requests. Meanwhile, here are a few basic steps:

 Start with discussing your family ethics and morals with your children. If your family emphasizes honesty, kindness, love, respect or other similar values, it is easy for your children to extend those values to the online world. Discuss how you as a family communicate with others, both face-to-face and from a distance. Make sure your whole family understands and knows what is valued. It is far easier for a child to understand and accept that certain online behavior is inappropriate because it goes against what the family considers to be good than if it is simply “against the rules.”

 Here are some simple but clear guidelines regarding online social networks (that also apply to other online communication) that Hemanshu Nigam, the Chief Security Officer of MySpace gave in a public address this month:

• Post with respect: photos are a great way to share wonderful experiences. If you're posting a photo of you and your friends, put yourself in your friends' shoes and ask would your friends want that photo to be public to everyone. If yes, then you're uploading photos with respect.
• Comment with kindness: compliments are like smiles, they're contagious. When you comment on a profile, share a kind word, others will too.
• Update with empathy: sharing updates lets us tell people what we think. When you give an opinion on your status updates, show empathy towards your friends and help them see the world with understanding eyes.

 Furthermore, young people (and all of us) should understand that the anonymity that the internet provides can be overcome. People who engage in illegal activities get caught. People who threaten get found out. People who post nasty things are discovered. Nobody should post anything they wouldn’t want attributed to them, and nobody should communicate in ways they wouldn’t want ascribed to them. 

Finally, if your child is the target of inappropriate language or activity – threats, requests for personal information, etc. – he/she should contact an adult for help and intervention. Students may be able to handle some situations by themselves, but adults who know about problem behavior can help prevent it from getting worse, can help with finding consequences for inappropriate behavior or communication, and can help stop such activity spreading. 

The internet is a great place for research, communication and entertainment. At the same time, students need to know how to use it and navigate through it safely. We as adults can and should help them to be safe and be positive and respectful. 

Online resources for parents regarding internet safety 

USA’s FBI publishes “A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety”

http://www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm 

Microsoft has a site with age-specific tips

http://www.microsoft.com/protect/family/guidelines/rules.mspx

 Stop Cyberbullying is a website with information specifically about bullying online

http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/

 Connect Safely has advice and information on general online safety

http://connectsafely.org/

Monitoring your child's activities online

There are a variety of ways to monitor your child's activities online, ranging from low-tech (have your child get online only while at a computer in front of you) to various internet content filtering software and other spyware (installing keylogger software or computer monitoring software on your child's computer).

None are foolproof. Repeat, none.

Children - particularly teens - can and will find ways around blocks and filters that adults put in place. Whether it's through hacking the system, using a non-secure computer or account (no filters in internet cafes!), faking a password, etc. today's "screenagers" can find a way to go where they want to.

Almost undoubtedly the best way for parents to ensure their children are being safe online is through talking about issues, setting expectations, and working with their children as intelligent and capable "netizens."

A useful tool for parents in helping their children manage their safety online and talk about the issues is Norton Family Online. A free service, this offers a way for parents to monitor and restrict their children's activities online while encouraging parents to "have The Talk" about expectations and behavior, and to set "House Rules" about what's OK and what's not while being online.

Parents can find out more and sign up for an account at onlinefamily.norton.com