.jpg)
Parents need to facilitate internet safety
Nothing is more important that providing a safe and nurturing environment for children. The recent national headlines involving Cayle Anthony and more recently Haleigh Cummings have highlighted the need for parents, caregivers, and the wider community to focus on childhood safety. Today, I will focus on Internet safety and tomorrow I will address the risk of childhood abduction. Free or low cost safety resources will be provided. You need to stay safe to have fun!
Clearly the internet provides many safe educational and recreational resources for children and families. While computer technology can enrich our lives, cyberspace can potentially create unsafe situations. Cyber predators, cyberbullying, pornography, and identity theft are just a few of the dangers that may be encountered on-line. Parents, particularly those who are not computer savvy, may have difficulty understanding these risks and may be at a loss as to how best to protect their children.
Safety Resources:
The Polly Klass Foundation is an organization committed to childhood safety. The foundation conducted a nationwide poll on internet safety. The results were concerning. They found that half of all teenagers reported communicating via the internet with someone that they have never met. Half of those teens have discussed meeting in person with an unfamiliar internet contact. Perhaps most significant, one in ten teenagers have learned that they have communicated with an adult pretending to be someone much younger.
Responding to evolving internet dangers, the Polly Klaas Foundation has developed an Internet Safety Kit which is available to families at no cost. This kit was specifically designed to assist parents in understanding internet dangers and to help parents in maintaining a safe internet environment. Open communication between parents and children regarding internet safety is essential. This kit assists parents on talking to their children about these sensitive and complex issues. A free computer download, Wired With Wisdom, is an internet safety training program for adults which is included in the kit.
Obtain your free Internet Safety Kit from the Polly Klaas Foundation by clicking here. They will never share your personal information with other businesses or organizations.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America have become partners in order to address the issues of internet safety. Stressing the need for parents and educators to appropriately supervise all internet usage by children, they have designed an on-line internet safety program. Aimed at children aged 3 to 17 (as well as parents, educators and law enforcement), the NetSmartz.org site has been developed to raise awareness about internet dangers. The site provides strategies to help children make safe decisions while on-line. It also facilitates healthy, safe, and age appropriate communication between children and their parents and teachers regarding internet risks. Please check out their NetSmartz Kids page and other resources.
Stay safe, Baltimore.
For more information on the risks associated with children and the Internet, check out my article entitled Children's safety on the Internet playground
Comments