Children today grow up with computers and the Internet, so safety and caution taught at a young age may benefit your child as he learns more computer skills for school, fun and games. Children should be taught safety rules the first time they use a computer, and be reminded often, as well as supervised by parents while in use. Teaching children Internet safety is the responsibility of parents, teachers and other caregivers, and is an important aspect of a child's environment today.
Maintain Privacy
Teach your children at a very young age to never post or tell private information to anyone on the Internet that they don't know for certain. This means not giving out their address, name or telephone number to chat rooms, forum boards and social network emails. Teachers are cautioned to gain consent from parents for children to access the Internet at school, using Acceptable Use Policies, also known as AUPs, for parent and student Internet safety education, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Resist Tempation
Teach your child to resist the temptation to join in on contents or join in clubs that require personal information without first asking you permission, suggests KidsHealth website. Teach your child to ask permission to connect with or join any group or order anything from the Internet, especially those that want information regarding birthdates, age, phone numbers or your child's address, school or other identifying information.
Email Safety Rules
If your child wants to create an email account, suggest the wisdom of choosing a user name that doesn't readily identify their name. For example, choose user names that contain capital and small letters and a couple of numbers rather than using part of your child's first or last name. This way, family members and close friends are the only ones who will be able to email your child, suggests KidsHealth.
Speak Up
Teach your children to speak up if they find something on the Internet that frightens them or makes them uncomfortable, suggests the Michigan State Police. This can be inappropriate graphic content, emails from strangers, or messages from strangers left on social networks, including Facebook or MySpace.
Blocked Access
Tell your children that you have blocked access to certain types of websites, explaining that some content found on the Internet is not appropriate for children. Explain to them that many people who use the Internet may post mean or frightening things or websites, but by using caution and realizing that the Internet can be used for good as well as for bad things, your child will be more aware of each, online and in his real environment.
