Internet Safety for Kids: How and Why Parents Should Learn About the Internet

Are you the parent of a child who uses the inteet or the parent of a child who will start using the inteet soon? If you are, you should know that the inteet is a great way to stay up-to-date on the news, do research for school projects, and communicate with friends, but it can also be very dangerous. As a parent, it is your responsibility to make sure that your child stays safe online. Unfortunately, for this to happen you must know your way around a computer and the inteet. Do you? A child should never know more than a parent does about the inteet. At the very least, you should know about the same. If you are looking to block adult websites or websites that have offensive language, it will not do you any good if your teenager knows ways to get around the parental controls that you set. That is why it is important that you know how to use a computer and the inteet or lea if you don't know. Another reason why you should be well educated on the inteet and computer use is because you are better able to fully understand the dangers of them. You may hear that an inteet predator approached or kidnapped a child on the news, but you may automatically assume that it will not happen to your child. Unfortunately, until you understand how the inteet works, you really have no idea. Does your child use inteet chat rooms or social networking websites? If so, do you know how easy the inteet makes it for someone to create a whole new, fake identity? A good understanding of computer and inteet use can better enable you to protect your child. Do you know that Inteet Explorer, the browser that comes standard, has a free parental control option that just needs to be activated? A few easy steps and you can have certain websites blocked from your child. Unfortunately, you won't know this if you don't know all that you can know about the computer or the inteet. Speaking of the inteet, additional online safety tools for parents can be purchased online as well. Now that you know the importance of staying in the know about the inteet and a computer in general, you may be curious as to how you can go about doing so. The good news is that there are a number of ways that you can lea all that you need to know about computer and inteet use. A few of these ways are outlined below for your convenience. Teaching yourself is an easy way to lea about the inteet and computer use. In fact, what better way is there than to just jump on the computer and see what you can find. For starters, examine your computer or your inteet browser for free inteet safety tools for parents. You may also want to visit some of the websites that your child visits, just to see what they are subjecting themselves to. Visit their online profile for MySpace, Facebook, or another social networking website. Does it make you uneasy? Are the discussions taking place in your child's favorite chat room too adult? You can also ask a trusted friend or relative for help. Do not ask your child or teenager for help though. If they know that you want to set up parental controls or keep tabs on their inteet use, they may withhold important information from you. Instead, invite a trusted friend or relative over for coffee and lunch and let them show you the ins and outs of the inteet. All you really need is a couple of hours. You can also take an inteet or computer education course. These courses are sometimes offered for free or for an affordable fee by local community groups, colleges, or vocational training centers. In fact, see if your child's school offers anything. Some schools host informational seminars for parents on inteet safety about once a year. PPPPP Word Count 667