Thursday, September 22, 2011

National Internet Safety Day is on September 25, 2011!

***In this blog post, we have paraphrased a few important points from the National Internet Safety Day Parent Guide for easier reading. We encourage you to read it since we are proud advocates for internet safety.***

It's never too late to talk with your children about online safety. Do it TODAY!

Internet Safety Day - AlertPay Scam Prevention

The internet has changed the world. Our children are living in a society that is highly dependent on technology in an unprecedented way. Unfortunately, most adults were not raised in the same kind of world, so they may not have a lot of knowledge about the types of safety concerns that exist online.

People in the United States recognize Internet Safety Day on September 25, but you don't have to be American to arm yourself and your children, or any children you know, with knowledge about the dangers of the internet and how to stay safe.

Most parents and adults would never allow their children to bring strange adults into their rooms, let alone the house, and most would never let their children visit hangouts of registered sex offenders, but parents and adults let their children talk to strangers online, whether in chat rooms or social networking sites. And the widespread use of web cams has done nothing to help in this matter.

But if you educate yourself and your children, you can worry less about their well-being. Even if you are not adept at technology, the trick is to talk to your kids, find out what they're doing online or what interests them, then learn all of that for yourself so that you can guide them in the right direction. The internet is not the enemy; not knowing how to use it is.

Here are some important online trends and tools you should know about (you can find more info in the ISD Parent Guide):

Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms

Instant Messaging is a tool that allows one-on-one virtual communication between friends and strangers. Users can chat, and share photos, videos and files. You can download an instant messaging service with little trouble and use it to chat with your friends, but due to the anonymity this service provides, it's easy for predators to prey on children and teens who don't know who they are really chatting with.

Chat rooms are similar but provide an arena in which multiple people can chat about a subject in which they are all interested. But it's also another opportunity for sexual predators and con artists (like those who have a knack for stealing personal information and identities) to prey on the innocent.

The ISD Parent Guide has some helpful safety tips as well as a glossary of terms used in chatrooms and when IMing.

Cell/Smart Phones

Cell phones used to be just about making phone calls. But smart phones changed that. Now people - children, teens and adults alike - carry around mini-computers in their back pockets. This makes the internet portable, which can be really convenient, but it's also an invitation to trouble. Safety concerns still exist with smart phones; they are not exempt from viruses and online predators just because they are small.

Please see the ISD Parent Guide for more information and helpful tips.

Social Networking and Microblogging

Sites like Facebook.com and Twitter.com have revolutionized the way we communicate. Social networking and microblogging sites can be a great deal of fun since you can connect with old friends, share interests as well as your every move and thought. But they can also be sites for predators since people can set up accounts with fake personal information; it takes no effort to assume an identity to fool others and gain access to their personal information, photos, their actions and whereabouts.

Giving away too much information and not having stringent privacy controls can give the wrong people access to your personal life.

Please see the ISD Parent Guide for more information.

If you're interested in learning more, the National Internet Safety Day Parent Guide also covers the following topics:

Virtual Worlds
Predators
Cyber Bullying
Sexting
Web Video
E-mail
File Sharing
Search Engines
Proxy Sites
Online Games

Although there is wealth more information in the Internet Safety Day Parent Guide, we don't want to repeat everything word-for-word. Instead, we encourage you to look it over with your children or with any children you may know (students, nieces and nephews, children of friends). Make an effort to familiarize yourself with the internet so you gain a better understanding of what your children are exposed to when using the internet.