Guest post by Joseph Souren, vice president EMEA, CA Internet Security Business Unit
Recent research from CA, the world’s leading independent IT management software company, shows that one in three GB parents prefer their child or teenager to surf the net rather than go out, despite 63% admitting to never having discussed online safety with their child and a further 52% not having set up any internet parental controls.
With the internet posing a huge risk for children, it is important for parents to set rules which ensure that children are safe during their time spent in the virtual world. Here are some useful tips to help keep children safe online:
1. Agree with your child on Internet rules, including how much time per day, what activities and sites are OK, and why.
2. Explain why your children should never share passwords, even with close friends.
3. Teach your child never to click on links or attachments sent by e-mail, unless they know the sender. Even in those cases, use caution.
4. Surf the Web together. Ask your child to tell you about the things they did online. Show genuine curiosity and make it fun. Have them show you their online profile, favourite chat rooms and friends. Get involved – the best way to know what your child is doing online is openly talk about it.
5. Watch for signs of cyberbullying, such as your child becoming agitated after using the PC and learn how to respond by saving chat logs and contacting the cyberbully’s Internet provider. Beware of your child’s behaviour not only as a victim but also as an offender. Teach him or her the importance of showing respect online. If they wouldn’t do it in public, they should not do it online.
6. Keep your PC in the living room or other common area and give your child a separate, non-administrative sign-on name. Discover software tools available to help you monitor your children’s Internet activity and safeguard them from the potential dangers in the virtual world. Most Parental Controls programs offer “Time Out” settings to limit the amount of time spent online, and audible sounds that activate if a user attempts to access blocked pages too frequently.
7. Learn the Language of Online Predators. Common definitions and Internet language associated with kids’ online activities:
• a/s/l – IM shorthand for age/sex/location
• MIRL – IM shorthand for Meet in Real Life
• P911 – IM shorthand for Parent Alert
• PAW – IM shorthand for Parents Are Watching, PAW is often used by children and teens to let their friends know that their parents are watching their chat conversation.
• POS – IM shorthand for Parents Over Shoulder
• POTS – IM shorthand for Parents Over The Shoulder
8. Parental Controls – options, typically included in digital television services, computer and video games, or computer software used to access the Internet, that allow a parent to monitor or limit what a child can see or do and/or time-limit these activities. These controls may allow for parents to limit the amount of time their children spend on the internet, regulate which kinds of sites their kids can go to, and filter out specific types of content.
