14 DAY TRIAL // According to a recently issued report by Carpone Warehouse entitled "Mobile Life 2008", most UK parents are unaware of the dangers their children expose themselves to when going online. Parents believe they are fully aware of what their little ones are doing while sitting in front of the PC, and their children would never go against their word and visit web pages that are inappropriate for their age. The study revealed that 14% of children have reported an "uncomfortable online experience", but only 9% of parents said that their children confided in them about this situation.
Dr Tanya Byron, a clinical psychologist that has contributed to the report, comments: "I think the key is for parents to treat the issue of online safety in the same way that they would approach other potential danger areas. Would you let your children learn how to cross the road via trial and error? No, you teach them the Green Cross Code. Now, with the increasing importance of wireless technology and the role it plays in our children's lives, we must all learn and teach the Online Safety Code." Although the PC and the Internet have become as necessary as a fridge or washing machine to numerous parents, there are a few steps that they can follow to make sure that their little ones stay safe while surfing the Internet.
The first thing you must understand is that there are numerous sites out there that are not suited for a growing child. You must learn how to use the privacy settings on your PC so that certain types of sites are restricted.
Take a moment to talk to your child and explain that whatever information is put on the web stays on the web for an undetermined amount of time. An inappropriate message or picture can remain on a site indefinitely, and haunt them in the future. It is best to be careful about what information is put out there.
Social networking sites, although poplar amongst children and teens, are a security threat as they can lead to infected, malware spreading sites. Your child must learn from an early age the value of privacy and must not divulge to anyone, especially strangers, any confidential information. Even the amount of data provided in the social networking site profile must be kept to a minimum.
An open relationship between you and your child is necessary. Your little one must know that in times of need, you are there to offer much needed help. Teach your child how to report abuse and encourage your offspring to come to you if an online experience has proven to be disturbing.