Webupon

Children are often way ahead of parents when it comes to the Internet. While this technology holds vast information and richness of experience, it also exposes our children to danger.

Two Safety Issues on the Internet

There are two safety issues on the Internet: the first is what our children are exposed to, either through their own actions or through accidental exposure. The other distinct area of concern is direct communication with our children that may be appropriate or personal, and that could lead to our children revealing information that puts them or the family at risk.

Communication via the Internet

One thing that people often find appealing about communication via the Internet is the element of anonymity. Children are able to communicate with anyone on the Internet. They are not limited by appearance, age or other characteristics that may cause bias. Conversations often become much more intimate because this element of anonymity frees some people to speak more openly and honestly.

A feeling of trust can be firmly established with a total stranger. It is at this moment of trust, of deciding to make the next move, which the greatest of risks occur. There are risks inherent in any decision to provide pore personal information or to make direct connection via telephone or in person. Children should not be permitted to make these decisions.

The Parents’ Specific Approval

Children must be reminded not to give their online password to anyone, nor to reveal personal information like their real name, where they live, their parents’ personal names, their telephone number or where they go to school. They should not send personal pictures through the Internet. They must learn to hang up on a conversation that makes them feel uncomfortable. They must be warned not to agree to meet anyone, and to tell their parents when anyone makes that suggestion.

They should never accept products offers, or requests to send them information without their parents’ specific approval. They must never give their home address to have something posted to them.

Conclusion

These are some of the ways in which we can protect our children from exposure to pornography, explicit language and other inappropriate interactions on the Internet. Just we would not send our children into a foreign city of millions of people without supervision and ground rules, we should not send our children onto the Internet without limits and ground rules.