Safe Surfing: Keeping your child safe online
The rise of the internet can certainly be marked as the beginning of the information age in human history. It is becoming an essential element for day to day life and especially so for those who have work at home jobs. It is a great place to research and exchange information with other internet users with complete freedom. Anyone can post and view content as they like, since censorship simply does not exist on the internet. To some this is a great demonstration of the freedom of speech, but for others, especially parents, it can mean unfiltered access to undesirable internet content.
Growing Reach of the Internet
With technology improving almost daily, internet accessibility has come a long way since its early days of dial-up using telephone cables. These days, internet access is not even restricted to computers anymore. Gaming consoles, PDAs and mobile phones are just a few platforms that have hopped on the internet bandwagon.
Benefits
Today’s children are in a very privileged position when it comes to learning online and having access to unlimited forms of entertainment. Compared to generations ago when much of the population was illiterate, children these days have access to an entire sea of information right from home. This provides a huge, free resource for their learning, and it also encourages the discipline of independent learning.
The inception of broadband has also brought about the possibilities of multi-player gaming, music downloads, and video sharing online. Today’s children do not need to leave their home to seek entertainment, and can interact with their friends by playing games with them in real time.
Risks
While the internet has brought numerous conveniences and benefits to today’s children, there are some very real dangers lurking on the internet, which parents should warn and protect their children against. Some examples are:
1. Hacking Of Information: There are cyber criminals baiting for valuable information such as credit card details and identification on the internet. Their biggest targets are children, who can be easily lured into their traps.
2.Internet Bullying: Online bullies are present commonly in gaming forums, or social networking platforms, and they often traumatize children emotionally by using words and images to instill fear.
3. Viruses: Children do not know how to identify computer viruses on the internet. Viruses are commonly disguised as regular application files, and without the experience to avoid this danger, children can be extremely vulnerable to virus attacks.
4. Legal Issues: File sharing sites are highly popular with schoolchildren and young adults. These sites are often accessed by users to download the latest games and music for free, but most children are totally oblivious to the fact that they are actually infringing on copyright laws and participating in illegal activities.
5. Pedophiles: Chat rooms and social media sites can be dangerous territory for children unaware of adults posing as children or teenagers, with the sole intent to lure the child to a meeting place. This has become a growing problem as many news specials have exposed these situations.
Parental Responsibilities
With danger lurking on the internet, parents should not shy away from the responsibility of educating their children on using the internet safely. More information for parents who wish to protect their children online can be found at the following locations:
- Federal Bureau of Investigations – An online pamphlet with tips and important safety information, laws and children’s rights.
- Kids Health – Provides information on protection tools available to parents and internet safety laws.
- I Keep Safe – An excellent resource with safety resources for both parents and children
It is imperative for parents to be sure their children recognize the possible dangers of the internet and learn how to take precautionary measures. The internet should be used as a tool to enhance the children’s lives. It is up to the parents to help them recognize the potential dangers and how to avoid them. Parents may want to invest in internet security software with parental filters. Another way to monitor activity is to keep the family computer in a common area of the home, instead of in a child’s bedroom. The internet is a wonderful tool if used correctly and safely.
