Teaching Your Kids to Stay Safe Online
Because of the impersonal nature of the Internet, understanding proper online behavior isn’t always easy for kids, including older teenagers. While Internet safety for kids can be a massive topic, there are a few basic areas that you can cover to make your children much safer online. Keeping an open line of communication about cyber-bullying, over sharing and online predators can make a big difference.
Cyber-Bullying
Unfortunately, cyber-bullying can start at any age. That said, teenagers may deal with it more frequently because of their use of social media sites. Internet safety for kids of all ages often starts by letting them know what type of interactions are appropriate online, so they know being the bully is just as bad as being bullied.
Cyber-bullying can take on numerous forms and may include:
- Playing pranks
- Putting others down
- Sharing personal information about other people
- Stalking.
As you open your dialogue with your children about cyber-stalking, let them know that it’s not their fault if they’ve become a target. Making sure they understand that the bully is the one in the wrong can make it easier for them to come to you about it instead of replying to the messages or attacks and making it worse.
Oversharing
When your children first start going online, it may be necessary to explain to them that everyone online is a stranger except for the people they know in real life. As strangers, there is certain information they don’t need to know about your child. Remind children that some things should be kept private, such as:
- Personal information like addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses
- School information like where it is and what time they ride their bikes home
- Special event information like what activities they participate in or when they’ll be at places like the park or local sports fields.
Internet safety for kids can be trickier when you’re dealing with teenagers who live much of their lives online through social media sites. In addition to the above information, your teen may need a reminder about not mentioning when they’ll be at home alone or babysitting at a neighbor’s house. These are such basic parts of their day that they may not realize how people with malicious intentions could use it to hurt them.
Online Predators
Teaching children of any age about online predators can be a tricky conversation. For your younger children, making sure they know to tell you if anyone ever requests to meet them or says something online that makes them feel uncomfortable is critical. The more involved you can be in their online world, the more you can help them avoid predatory situations.
Since the selfie fad doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon, you may find it necessary to talk to your teenager about what types of selfies are okay to post online. While you may not want to be the parent who monitors your teen’s social media activities, it may be necessary to help ensure they really understand which pictures are acceptable and which are inappropriate to share. This can be especially important since a teenager may think nothing is wrong with sharing a group photo of their friends that has your house number in the background.
Remember, Internet safety for kids is really all about communication. No matter what age your children are, staying involved in their online and offline activities can help everyone stay safe.