If
you are the parent of a girl, you probably think about what
name she is using in chat rooms and for instant messaging
(IM), and you are wise to be concerned. How can you protect
your daughter if you are unaware what web sites she visits,
what chat rooms, who she chats with, and the true identities
of her online “friends?”
If
your teenager is a boy; what is he downloading? Are you going
to be liable for illegal music downloads? Is he downloading
porn, and the viruses that ride along? What sites does he
visit, what does he look at there? It’s a parents right
to know these things, and a parent’s responsibility
if, heaven forbid, something goes terribly wrong.
Boys
are aggressive downloaders, according to studies and many
of the most popular sites for illegal downloads of music and
movies are infested with viruses, worms, and Trojan Horses
(hacker software that sneaks in and lets the hackers use your
machine later!). Many of these programs will seek out your
personal data and then transmit it to the hackers. Whether
it is just the theft of your credit card information or full
fledged Identity Theft, you would be very wise to be alarmed
by this possibility.
Did
you know that recent studies show that teenage girls spend
even more time on the internet than boys? That’s interesting
and alarming news, as teenage girls are more likely to be
cyber bullied, or sexually harassed online than boys.
Dr.
Michele Borba, internationally renowned educational consultant
and author of 20 books, wrote “There are some specific
ways to protect kids from bullying both in cyberspace and
on the playground. Parents today need a closer “electronic
leash” on their kids and need to be more tuned into
the cyberspace trend. This isn't about being controlling--this
is good parenting.”
To
extend her point, the monitoring of your children’s
activities on the internet is not about control, or infringing
upon their privacy, it’s about protecting your children
from very real threats.
Some
internet service providers (like AOL and MSN) have built in
parental controls to “block out” certain types
of web sites. However, none of these parental controls are
foolproof, which means your kids are on the loose much of
the time—and if you are a typical family, your kids
probably know more about computers than you.
You
can’t look over their shoulder at all times, but you
can do a number of very smart things. Here are seven ways
to keep your kids safe when they use the Internet.
1)
Talk to them about the dangers of unrestricted use of the
internet. Inform them about keeping passwords really secret,
never sharing a credit card number with anyone, even their
best friend. And please talk with them about cyber bullying,
whether they are on the receiving end, or the giving end.
2)
If they are on the giving end of cyber bullying, you must
take away their privileges immediately. You have liability
here, both ethical and legal.
3)
If they are illegally downloading music and movies, make
them stop. If the studios or record companies come after
them, as their parent you have the legal responsibility
of paying the fines.
4)
Talk to them about stalkers and predators on the internet
that use false identities, and urge them to be careful in
chat rooms.
5)
Use the parental controls that come with your internet service.
6)
Take the computer out of their rooms and place it in a common
area in the house. Your kids are much less likely to do
something inappropriate or dangerous if other people are
around.
7)
Look into Internet Monitoring Software
About
the Author:
Steve Cross, author of the book "Changing Channels",
is a former columnist for Newman Media, Channel Media, and
the Gartner Group. Steve is a contributor to various jazz
publications. Currently, Steve serves as the Steve is president
of Guardian Software. http://www.guardiansoftware.com/monitor-pro.html
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