This holiday season many children will be receiving new electronic gadgets that provide Internet access.
Parents and guardians have primary responsibly for what children do online in their household. To help in this regard, here’s something to consider: A Parent’s Pledge to foster online safety at home, which I have adapted from this website. This pledge should apply to ALL electronic devices with online access, not just computers.
Parents' Pledge
1. I will get to know the services and websites my child uses. If I don't know how to use them, I'll have my child show me.
2. I will set reasonable rules and guidelines for computer use by my children, and I will discuss these rules and post them near the computer as a reminder. I'll remember to monitor compliance with these rules, especially when it comes to the amount of time spent on the computer.
3. I will not overreact if my child tells me about a problem he or she is having on the Internet. Instead, we'll work together to try to solve the problem and prevent it from happening again.
4. I promise not to use an Internet-connected device as a babysitter.
5. I will help make the Internet a family activity and ask my child to help plan family events using the Internet.
6. I will try to get to know my child's "online friends" just as I try get to know his or her other friends.
In addition to the above pledge, I highly recommend that parents and guardians set up parental controls on Internet-connected devices whenever possible. Such controls are readily available in Windows and Mac, and with security programs like Norton and Kaspersky.
I also recommend setting parental controls on your home (and work) router, including changing the DNS addresses. Visit this website to learn more.
Wishing you safe and secure computing.
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Thanks for reading,
Sam
