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Tech Talk: Beyond Internet Safety

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Move from fear to education

  • The best Internet safety means teaching responsible Internet use
  • Protecting privacy is a bigger issue than predators
  • Because kids create as much as they consume, they must learn how to create and communicate safely
  • Remind kids about safety basics: keep personal information private, use privacy settings, don't share passwords
  • Remember everything on the Internet can be seen by a vast, invisible audience
  • Anything can be copied, pasted, altered, and sent to friends of friends of friends
  • Whatever gets created creates a digital footprint that lasts
  • Kids should only post things they'd feel comfortable if their parents, teachers or friends saw it
Advice and Answers

The new safety basics

For a long time, Internet safety stressed 'stranger danger.' But studies have shown that only kids who were already inclined toward risky behavior were the ones likely to get into trouble. Instead, Internet safety is more akin to being a responsible driver. Kids need to understand the rules of the road so they can maximize their privacy and minimize the risks of damaging their reputations.

5 things to keep kids safe

1. Keep personal information private. 2. Use privacy settings and don't share passwords 3. Kids need to think before they post because anything can be copied, and sent broadly 4. What goes around comes around: no humiliating posts 5. It's best to self-reflect before self-revealing

Parents and teachers must guide

It's up to parents and teachers to help kids become responsible and honest citizens of the future. That means they have to be able to apply the lessons they learn in life to their online and mobile lives. Be kind, be honest. Don't do something that would harm another. Make sure you know who and what you can trust. Be careful about what you reveal to others. We teach our kids these things every day. Let's remember to extend our parenting wisdom to their online and mobile worlds. This way we raise safe, responsible kids who can enjoy the amazing powers offered by these amazing technologies.
Our Community Says

What does Internet Safety mean to you?

There are 7 community opinions on this topic

Join in on the discussion

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Selbe
Posted by Selbe on 10/23/2009 (kid contributor, age 12)

So true really. Internet safety simply means your condition of safety on the internet. Are you in danger? Do you tell people your full name, address, or phone number? Do you send pictures via email to people you don't really know?

As Divine_Munchie_99 said: That 12-year-old girl could be a creepy middle-aged man wanted by the police...

Posted by SaraC on 10/14/2009 (adult contributor)

We all know that even as young as 3 can already have an access to the internet and as a mother, I want my children to be safe from it just like I want them to be safe whenever they are outside the house. So parents must take some precautions on letting their children browse through internet. We have to be careful.
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Posted by apalonia77 on 10/6/2009 (parent contributor)

internet safety means being as safe online as you are in real life. children don't go out talking to people they don't know when they are at the mall or in a public area so they shouldnt' online either. it also means talking to your child about the dangers and how to avoid them. i get my tips at www.netsmartz411.org.

Posted by T.O. Parent on 10/5/2009 (parent contributor)

Simply because adults are harrassed on the internet does not make it okay to do the same to kids. Parents need to teach kids 'why' to keep their personal information private, in addition to 'how' to do it.

Kids, teens, and even adults need to understand that the information they post is out there for everyone to see. That means your parents, your friends, strangers, prospective employers, and anyone else.

Posted by lilmissfrankie on 10/4/2009 (kid contributor, age 10)

i agree with myparanoia

Posted by myparanoia on 08/21/2009 (kid contributor, age 12)

Why are people so concerned about kids being checked out online while there are tons of adults being harrassed via internet?

Posted by Divine_Munchie_99 on 07/7/2009 (teen contributor, age 15)

Internet safety, in my opinion, means for kids to keep their identities secret. That 12-year-old girl could be a creepy, middle-aged man wanted by the police...

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