Internet Safety Tips
Parents must be educated with respect to the Internet. They should be aware of all that it offers:
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Chat Rooms
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E-Mail
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Surfing the Web - search engines
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Posting / Reading messages in newsgroups and bulletin boards.
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Reference information such as news, weather, health issues, sports, stock quotes, movie reviews, encyclopedias, airline reservations, hotel reservations, car rentals, online banking and shopping.
Risks Associated with the Internet:
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Exposure to indecent and/or inappropriate material including sexual, hateful, violent and criminal.
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Child exploitation / molestation
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Harassment
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Financial fraud
What Parents can do to reduce the risks associated with the Internet:
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Get involved with your children. Find out what they are doing and where they are going on the internet.
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Teach your children about the dangers of the Internet and how to avoid them.
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Consider software programs that block and filter inappropriate websites.
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Place the computer in an area of the house that is easily visible so that you can periodically check to see what your child is doing.
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Watch for warning signs such as your child spending large amounts of time online, especially at night; you find pornography on the computer or disks/cd's; your child receives phone calls from men you don't know or from numbers you don't recognize including long distance, or your child receives mail, gifts or packages from unknown sources.
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Consider signing a "Family Contract for Online Safety" which includes a "Kids" and a "Parents" pledge. (available below)
As part of it's ongoing program to keep kids safe online, The Rockland County Sheriff's Computer Task Force is available to present safety tips to parents, kids, PTAs and any other type of organization.
Please contact us to schedule an appointment.