The Importance of Talking About Internet Dangers

It's bound to happen at one point or another while your child is researching school work on the internet. They innocently click on a link they think will take them to just the right information for their report. Unfortunately, it takes them to a site that young eyes clearly aren't supposed to see. Before this happens to your child, you'll want to take seriously the importance of talking about internet dangers with those in your household.

Technology is changing at lighting-fast speed. Children and teens are learning to use this new technology, including the internet, quicker than their parents or other adults. There shouldn't be any concern about the technology or those using it; however, internet dangers abound for teens and children if they're not careful.

Computers, the internet, and technology in and of themselves are not dangerous. However, the people who use these tools could very well be dangerous and because of the anonymity afforded by the internet, your children and teens may not recognize the dangers. That's why it's important for parents to take seriously potential internet dangers and their obligation to talk to their children about them.

Very young children really have no place playing with the internet although they may play educational computer games with their parents. It really isn't until children are in school where they may have access to computers and the internet that parents may become concerned.

Explain to them that the people on the internet may or may not be who they claim to be. You may not want to use your child's real name when allowing them access to the internet, so it makes sense that other people on the internet could also be using a false name. And, because the internet gives anonymity, the person claiming to be a ten-year-old girl could actually be a 45-year-old male pedophile.

Make sure your children understand that they should never give out personal information over the computer without express permission of their parents. This information includes their name, address, telephone number, or school they attend. Predators and pedophiles often come after children who have carelessly given out such information.

Keep your computer in an open area of the home so you can see what your children are doing while they're online. You can also get filtering programs to install to block certain pop-up ads or webpages from opening on your computer. You may also want to explain to your child that if anything pops up while they are searching for information that they should inform you immediately.

Remember, when it comes to keeping your children safe online, you are your child's best protection. You don't have to sit over their shoulder and watch everything they're doing, but you will want to learn as much as you can about internet dangers and share that information with your child. That way they can stay safe while online.

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