The biggest thing that we as parents worry about is the safety of our children.  We do all we can to ensure their safety when crossing the road, or at school, but are we missing something?

These days most children know more about computers, emails, and the World Wide Web than we do.  They can Google, use social networking sites, and love to watch videos on YouTube.  The internet opens up a whole new world of information and fun for children, but it can also be a dangerous place.  Not only is there inappropriate material for children that can sometimes slip by any filter you as parents put on your computer, there is also cyber-bullying and grooming of children from others that do not have your children's best interest at heart. 

What can we do?

Childnet International is a UK charity committed to making the internet a great and safe place for children.  They have several different websites covering different areas of using the internet for different audiences (teachers, parents, or children).  A good one to start with as parents is the Know it All website.  Watch the well put together presentation about how children are using the internet and what you can do to keep them safe.

One Childnet project is the KidSMART website where they recommend teaching your children to be SMART.

• SAFE - Staying safe involves being careful and not giving out your name, address, mobile phone no., school name or password to people online.
• MEETING someone you have contacted in cyberspace can be dangerous. Only do so with your parent's/carer's permission, and then when they can be present.
• ACCEPTING e-mails or opening files from people you don't really know or trust can get you into trouble - they may contain viruses or nasty messages.
• RELIABLE - Someone online maybe lying about who they are, and information you find on the Internet may not be reliable.
• TELL your parent or carer if someone or something makes you feel uncomfortable or worried.

This KidSMART website is for children with sections for parents and teachers.  We recommend you go to this site with your children to discuss how they can be safe on line.

Our Top Four Tips to keep your children safe online:

• 1) Computers in a family place. - If your child had their computer in their room you can not see what they are doing.
• 2) Create a family email address - Lots of sites or on-line competitions require someone to be registered which needs an email address. As a lot of sites these days ask the children to tick a box that their parents have agreed they can register (enter) this allows you to see who is actually emailing them.
• 3) Create a file in favourites - For younger children you can create a file in favourites with all of the sites you have agreed they can go on. This helps prevent them from accidently coming across inappropriate material by mis-spelling words in Google.
• 4) Talk to your children - Explain to them that sometimes there are things on-line that might make them feel uncomfortable and come up with a solution on what to do if they come across something that upsets them. Such as turning off the monitor and going to get you.

Over the next few months we will be exploring more about the different ways our children use the internet and how to ensure their safety.