Children at the elementary grade levels have access at school and at home to the Internet for gaming, chatting in rooms or using instant messaging, in addition to traditional education use. Approximately 48 percent of children under the age of seven interact with others on the Internet, according to a 2008 Rochester Institute report. Protecting young Internet users requires educating both children and guardians on the possible risks and using available safety options.
History
Early years of Internet use were restricted to adults with technological skills. As both computer hardware and software became more user friendly, children joined adults online. Programmers now incorporate features that allow elementary-age children an opportunity to use many chat and gaming websites. The federal government took steps in 1998 to protect elementary children by passing the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, known as COPPA, to mandate specific regulations to protect the child's personal information when online.
Function
Two basic types of Internet safety operations protect young children. The first restricts website operators, under COPPA, from collecting information including name, address, telephone number, email address and Social Security number. Any information that allows the website operator to physically locate a child under 13 years of age is outlawed under the act. The second type of Internet safety operation incorporates parent approval for use of a website by requiring telephone confirmation of the registration or completion of an approval form.
Features
KidsHealth recommends guardians select pre-approved websites for elementary-age children by bookmarking the sites or storing links to the sites in a desktop folder to ensure online safety. Software programs allow creation of a separate desktop for each computer user and also incorporate childproofing by restricting Internet use to the websites posted in the folder on the desktop or the user page. Website restriction may also be done through individual Internet providers that block websites or lock out general Internet surfing. Both OpenDNS and Windows offer another way to restrict young eyes from inappropriate websites. These free services provide parental web filters and a way to blacklist specific objectionable websites.
Considerations
KidsHealth suggests parents provide Internet safety by placing the computer in a public location in the home and by restricting the child's email correspondence to a parent-supervised account. The group also discourages children from entering private chat rooms. Parents should also take an active role in monitoring other computer locations with Internet access that the child may access at school, friends' homes or in public places.
Misconceptions
Parents should not assume that Internet safety is taught at school for home computers. Connect Safely, a parent education group, recommends reviewing the types of possible abuse that might occur when the child is using the computer and discuss these possibilities with the child. Encourage children to discuss any uncomfortable online situations with an adult. Children should understand that it is not necessary to leave the website to allow an open discussion with others on the Internet and that adults may masquerade as children on the Internet.
