Safely Surfing The Internet
Guidelines for Parents and Children 

     With the growing popularity of the Internet, there is increased concern about children surfing the Net. The Internet offers many terrific sites and activities for kids to explore, but it also offers sites suitable only for adults.

     It's important for you, as parents, to understand the opportunities and dangers available to children on the Internet so you can feel comfortable letting your child explore the on-line world.

THE GLOBAL NEIGHBORHOOD

     Imagine you were allowing your child and her friends to go into town or to the mall for the first time without adult chaperones. Even though you know there are dangers to your child out in the world, you wouldn't necessarily keep her at home. You would suggest things to do you think she would enjoy, tell her how to locate places you have visited together, and warn her how to stay safe.

     In just the same way, you must teach your child how to use the Internet safely. The Internet is a diverse global community. But like any community there are both appropriate and inappropriate places for children to visit and wonderful and not-so-wonderful people for them to meet. Children need guidelines to make these distinctions.

GUIDELINES FOR PARENTS

     As a parent, use the guidelines below to help you and your children have fun surfing the Net:

• When your children begin surfing the Internet, spend time with them. Help them find interesting kid-friendly sites. Look for sites that encourage input from kids.

• Bookmark your children's favorite World Wide Web sites so that they can easily return to them.

• If you don't know how to surf the Internet have your children teach you. They will get a kick out of teaching you something.

• Consider setting limits on the amount of time per day your children can spend on-line.

• If you want to make it easier to limit the time your children spend alone at the computer, put the computer in a family room

• If your children do surf the Net by themselves, check up on them once in a while to see where they're going.

• Tell your children to let you know if they see anything that frightens or puzzles them or if they are approached by anyone on the Internet in a way that make them scared or uncomfortable.

GUIDELINES FOR CHILDREN

     Because there are real concerns regarding children and the Internet, teach your children to follow these guidelines while on-line:

• Never give out your full name, address, or phone number to anyone on-line without first consulting a parent.

• Never arrange to meet anyone in person whom you have met on-line without first consulting a parent.

• Be aware that people may not be who they appear to be on-line. Someone who claims to be a teen aged girl could be a forty-year-old man.

• Never send photos of yourself to anyone on-line, especially in response to a direct request. Consult with a parent before posting photos of yourself anywhere on-line.

• Trust your instincts. If someone is sending you email or chat requests that make you feel uncomfortable, listen to your feelings. You don't have to respond to someone or do anything that you don't want to. If someone contacts you on-line in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, tell your parents. Parents can contact your, or the sender's, Internet service provider and ask them to monitor the situation.

• Remember that the Internet is similar to the rest of the world. You should use the same common sense there as you would on the street or in the mall.

INTERNET FILTERS

     You might have heard information about software programs that filter out World Wide Web sites that are inappropriate for children. There are two basic kinds of filter software programs. One kind compiles and updates a database of kid-inappropriate sites, and the other kind filters sites by searching for certain keywords. You can check out some of these online filters for yourself at C/NET .

OPTIONS ON THE HORIZON

     Several groups are working to create a rating system for Internet sites. Their plan is to have all site authors voluntarily rate their sites according to a rating system similar to the one used for movies, but much more specific. You could then set a type of filter software to refuse connection to "X" or "R" rated sites. One organization that is working to develop an Internet Rating Standard is SafeSurf.

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