{"id":27,"date":"2009-09-30T20:17:55","date_gmt":"2009-10-01T03:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internetsafety.trendmicro.com\/?p=27"},"modified":"2009-10-01T19:43:19","modified_gmt":"2009-10-02T02:43:19","slug":"internet-safety-at-home-at-school-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trendmicro.com\/internet-safety\/blog\/internet-safety-at-home-at-school-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Internet Safety at home, at school – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>\"Blog1\"by Lynette T. Owens<\/strong><\/p>\n

As a parent of 2 young kids, I tend to measure the passing of time and major milestones in my kids\u2019 lives (and my own) based on when school begins, ends, and how it ebbs and flows in between.\u00a0 While summer has ended, a lot has just begun.\u00a0 My kids will have new experiences, meet new people, learn new things this school year.<\/p>\n

In the midst of all this transition, it\u2019s natural to want your kids to be safe and enjoy the experience.\u00a0 I am attentive to my kids\u2019 safety from the moment they wake up, get dressed, get into the car and get to school.\u00a0 My kids\u2019 schools do a great job of informing parents of their policies, procedures, responsibilities and expectations of parents to ensure that our kids are always safe when they\u2019re there, and will be in an environment where they will learn and have fun doing it.<\/p>\n

For the most part, safety is very naturally at the top of our minds wherever our kids are concerned.<\/p>\n

Yet there is one area of a child\u2019s safety that continues to fall beneath the radar of many people.\u00a0 In my discussions with many parents and grandparents, school administrators, neighbors, and friends around the world, it is clear to me that we do not take the issue of our kids\u2019 Internet safety as seriously as we do with other aspects of their well-being.<\/p>\n

Internet safety is a topic that is not as well-understood as it should be in many communities.\u00a0 Ask a parent with a 10-year old boy, and they might tell you \u201cI don\u2019t want my son seeing inappropriate things online.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Ask another with 2 teenagers, and they may say \u201cI\u2019m worried because I have no idea who they are chatting with or what they may be saying about themselves.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 But everyone does<\/span> know there are risks \u2013 they just don\u2019t have a common answer as to what they should be worried about, much less what to do about it.<\/p>\n

Also, most kids around the world between the ages of 5 and 18 spend about half of their waking hours in school or somewhere not at home.\u00a0 Some of that time is spent online in the classroom or at a friend\u2019s house or using their cell phones as they move from place to place.<\/p>\n

So what is a parent who cares about all other aspects of their children\u2019s safety to do?<\/p>\n

Here are four things a parent can do right away:<\/p>\n

1 \u2013 Understand how your kids spend their time online.<\/strong> How do they get onto the internet (computer, phone, etc.)?\u00a0 Will they use social networking sites like Facebook or Club Penguin?\u00a0 Be aware of any sites\u2019 Privacy Policies and Terms of Use.\u00a0 You can avoid a damaged reputation or even identity theft by simply using some of the privacy controls already available on many sites.<\/p>\n

2 \u2013 Know the risks that being online might bring to your children.<\/strong> There are tons of great resources out there, some of which you can find at www.trendmicro.com\/go\/safety<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0You may have already read or heard about sexual predators trying to groom kids online and kids\u2019 viewing inappropriate content or posting inappropriate photos of themselves, but there is much more to online safety than the few topics that make the news headlines.\u00a0 Being aware of these risks is the first step to making sure they are safe.<\/p>\n

3 \u2013 Put some ground rules in place and use technology as you see fit.<\/strong> Once you understand the risks, decide how you want to let your kids use technology in their lives.\u00a0 Some of that will be driven by their needs for school, but decide how you want them to use it for learning, socializing, and entertainment.\u00a0 Agree on where, when, and with whom they can use it.\u00a0 And know there are great technologies out there that can help you manage their time online safely.\u00a0 Parental control features in security software is a great foundation to help manage some of the more basic issues such as blocking inappropriate sites, limiting their time, and monitoring where they go \u2013 and you get the benefits of keeping your system secure in case anyone \u2013 including your kids \u2013 isn\u2019t clicking as carefully as they should.\u00a0 Again, there are tons of resources to get you started from some great organizations:<\/p>\n