For Your Information.....

The Internet is an exciting educational tool for kids but it also has many potential dangers. Children are falling victim to child predators they meet online, harassed online by classmates, or exposed to inappropriate material through email and websites. The following information may be helpful insuring safer computer use by children.

The Internet has opened up a wonderful world of information for anyone with a computer and a connection! Your children will learn about computers, but just as you wouldn't send children near a busy road without some safety rules, you wouldn't send them onto the information superhighway without rules of the road. There are too many dangers-from child molesters to con artists-that can reach children (and adults) through the Internet.

Explain that although a person may be alone in a room using the computer, once logged on to the Internet, he or she is no longer alone. People skilled in using the Internet can find out who you are and where you are. They can even tap into information in your computer. Set aside time to explore the Internet with your children. Visit sites on the World Wide Web specially designed for children (some sites are also linked on our own Homepage).

The best tool a child has for screening material found on the Internet is his or her brain. Teach your children about exploitation, pornography, hate literature and excessive violence so they know how to respond when they see this material. You can choose a commercial online service that offers parental control features that can block content that is not clearly marked as appropriate for children; including chat rooms, bulletin boards (not ours of course), news groups, and even access to the Internet entirely.

You can purchase blocking software and design your own safety system. Different packages can block sites by name, search for unacceptable words and block access to sites containing those words.

Tell Your Child...

Always to let you know immediately if they find something scary or threatening on the Internet.

Never give out their name, address, phone number, password, school name, parent's name or any other personal information.

Never agree to meet face to face with someone they've met online.

Never respond to messages that have bad words, seem scary or just weird.

Never enter an area that charges for services without asking you first.

And Never send a picture of themselves to anyone without your permission.

Please MONITOR YOUR CHILDREN when they are online and monitor the time that is spent online. If a child becomes uneasy or defensive when you enter the room, this can  mean that he or she is up to something unusual or even forbidden.