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Child
Safety on the Information Highway
How
Parents Can Reduce the Risks
Most
online services and Internet providers allow parents to limit
their children's access to certain services and features such as
adult oriented "chat" and bulletin boards. Check for
these when you first subscribe. In addition there
are now programs designed specifically to enable parents to
prevent children from accessing inappropriate materials on the
Internet. These tools, while not foolproof, are useful for
helping parents control children's access, but they cannot take
the place of parental involvement and supervision.
The
Internet and some private bulletin boards contain areas
designed specifically for adults who wish to post, view, or read
sexually explicit material. Most private bulletin board
operators who post such material limit access to people who
attest that they are adults but, like any other safeguards, be
aware that there are always going to be cases where adults fail
to enforce them or children find ways around them.
The
best way to assure that your children are having positive online
experiences is to stay in touch with what they are doing. One
way to do this is to spend time with your children while they're
online. Have them show you what they do and ask them to teach
you how to access the services.
While
children and teenagers need a certain amount of privacy, they
also need parental involvement and supervision in their daily
lives. The same general parenting skills that apply to the
"real world" also apply while online.
If
you have cause for concern about your children's online
activities, talk to them. Also seek out the advice and counsel
of other computer users in your area and become familiar with
literature on these systems. Open communication with your
children, utilization of such computer resources, and getting
online yourself will help you obtain the full benefits of these
systems and alert you to any potential problem that may occur
with their use.
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