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"As parents,
we understand the risks that come with our children's growing
independence and we know how to protect and advise them. I remember
when my young daughter wanted to ride her bike around the block
on her own. I was anxious but I let her go. I understood the risks
and where the boundaries should be set."
This is how Mr. Doug Fodeman starts his talks. Mr Fodeman is a
recognized expert on keeping our children safe online, is on the
Time4Learning Educational
Advisory Board, and runs
Children Online, a site educating parents on Internet
risks. His advice for parents....
"Unfortunately,
this same understanding of risks is not true for most parent with
the Internet. Most parents are unaware of the risks and dangers
that await children on the Internet. As wonderful a tool as the
Internet is, it has many sites that are not age-appropriate for
our children, sites with opportunities for our children to interact
with strangers of all ages, and places that put children at risk
for harm such as bullying, personal encounters, and addictive
behavior."
Strange
though it may seem, a child can be very influenced by a stranger
or group of strangers over the net and can make terrible lapses
in judgment in giving out personal information. This is true danger
which has had devastating consequences for many children and families.
First
recommendation, young children should be supervised at all times
on the computer and net. This is to protect the computer and the
children. Put the computer with the screen facing the inside of
the room (so it is easy to see) and perhaps in the parents home
office or kitchen but not in the children's own bedroom. This
allows the parent to gracefully watch the child as they work on
the computer. This is a great policy into the early teen years.
Second
recommendation, get and stay informed about safety on the net.
Good sites to look at are:Children
Online, Get
NetWise, and Parenting
In an Electronic Age. And since the net and technology is
evolving rapidly, plan on an annual update of your knowledge.
In the last two years, the chat rooms have been replaced by MySpace
as the most visible of the dangerous online meeting places for
children, but the media will evolve. Many churches, schools, and
parent groups host a periodic meeting to help parents to understand
the risks from the evolving electronic media (remember, a cell
phone can now also include e-mail, chat, and web surfing!). If
they don't organize such as session, you should. If you need speakers,
contact us and we might be able to suggest one.
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Share
your information about the risks with the children. We recommend
that you reach an agreement with your child about the what
they will and will not do on the net. The agreement
helps you and your children communicate about the risks
and how the child has to take responsibility for not disclosing
any personal information. We recommend that the agreement
be signed and taped to the wall by the computer. Also, that
periodically, the terms and issues in the contract get reviewed
so that the parent can hear about the children's actual
experiences. Awkward e-mails and Web sites that somehow
arrived or popped up should be discussed rather than considered
the child's fault and something they need to hide. We are
all embarrassed as victims of the ongoing spam problems
but for the foreseeable future, they are part of the online
landscape.
The
reason that we insist on this contract as a primary recommendation
is that in most cases, your children's safety depends on
their own vigilance and awareness of dangers. Most children's
technical expertise will surpass their parent's before the
end of high school and they will inevitably (unfortunately)
be exposed to spam e-mails, sites, and links. While the
exposure is unpleasant and unfortunate, your children need
to understand to withhold their personal information and
to avoid risky involvements across the net.
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Next recommendation,
purchase and install Web filtering software for all children under
the age of 16. Web filtering software acts as a barrier between
your child and the Internet. It attempts to filter out bad/inappropriate
content before your child sees it. Filters help support the boundaries
you set such as the hours of usage, the sites that they can visit,
and their usage of e-mail or instant messaging. We recommend Cyberpatrol
for the PC and Content
Barrier for the Mac. Also, parents should look at all electronic
media and find a trusted source of family-friendly
info on electronic media.
Lastly,
while it's important that you understand and manage the risks
of your children using the Internet, we believe that you should
make efforts to have your children take advantage of the Internet.
Just like bicycles and cars and sports, there are risks. But these
risks are manageable and the benefits of using the computer are
extraordinary.
John Edelson,
Founder Time4Learning - Online
Home School Curriculum
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March 9, 2007 © Homeschool Christian.com and Time4Learning
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