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Internet Safety for School Age Children Part Two

By Oguz Ozdemir

Life on the internet is a way of life and social media has made it easier and easier for everyone to know everything you are doing every minute of every day! Facebook, twitter, Myspace, instant messaging services are all right at the tip of your fingers as well as your children. When they are not talking on the phone they are texting. And of course right after that came sexting.

There are so many things to worry about while using the internet. It is a powerful tool that provides instant information just by pushing a button. But the truth is, used in the wrong way, the internet can quickly become the backdrop for some shady scenarios. So how do you keep your child safe while still allowing them some internet access?

If you have parental controls on your computer, use them; if not, find out how to have them installed. This is probably the biggest way that you can prevent your child from danger even when you are not at home while they are on the computer.

Keep a watch on your children to make sure that they have not told their friends about meeting someone in person that they met online. This is where many a child gets into trouble and many a grown man ends up going to jail. It is so easy for anyone to misrepresent themselves in person, the internet has opened up even more ways.

Make sure that your child doesn't sign up for anything suspicious online. Do not allow them to enter any personal information on any web sites. And keep an eye on their Facebook and MySpace pages as it is here that you will find the bulk of the information that is going out into cyberspace.

Internet conduct came under great scrutiny last year when a mother of a student became an online bully. This mother, who you would have thought would have known better and conducted herself as an adult, taunted the girl until her final message: the world would be a better place without her. The woman appeared online first as a boy that liked the girl. Once the girl received that last message, she committed suicide. What started out perhaps as an innocent prank turned into a deadly disaster that broke apart two homes.

Most sites require that the users be at least 18 years of age while some you can sign on at 13. Make sure that your underage child is not set up for anything that he or she shouldn't be. If you share your computer with your children do not have instant access set up for any of your sites.

You should always have clear and open dialogues with your child about the dangers of the internet. Listen to what they and their friends are talking about and talk with your children about anything disturbing or unusual that they may have experienced over the internet. If you feel that your child has been intentionally mislead on the internet or has been the victim of a bully, online or at school, please give our legal team at Napoli Bern Ripka a call at 1-888-LAW-IN-NY today. We can set up a free consultation or you can provide your information on the Quick Contact section of this website.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Oguz Ozdemir

Full post as published by New York City Personal Injury Lawyer on September 09, 2009 (boomark / email).