Posted: 18th Jul, 2009 By: MarkJ
Ofcom has launched a new campaign to help parents and carers keep their kids safe online this summer. The regulators own research shows that two-thirds of 5-7 year olds, over three-quarters of 8-11 year olds and over four-fifths of 12-15s already use the Internet at home. To that end the following advice may come in very handy.
Tips for Keeping Kids Safe Online:
1.Talk to them and get to know how they use the internet; ask to see some of their favourite sites.
2.Make them aware that there are things on the internet which may upset them and that they can always talk to you - or another trusted adult.
3.Be aware of any changes in the way they use the internet, such as the amount of time they spend online.
4.Make sure your children know not to share their personal details online, such as their address and phone number.
5.Tell them never to respond to junk email or open attachments that are from people they don't know.
6.Learn how the history feature on your computer works - it can help you monitor the websites that your children are using.
7.Install filtering software to restrict access to inappropriate websites. Check with your internet service provider to learn how to block sites you don't want children to see.
8.If you are using a recent edition of Windows or you have a reasonably recent Mac you will find within the operating system or available as a download lots of parental control tools which you can use at no cost. Many of these work with or through the browser.
9.Work with your children to understand how search engines work so that they don't stumble across unsuitable content and are able to find the information they need quickly and efficiently.
10.Make sure your children know why cyberbullying is wrong.
The full '
Consumer Guide' can be downloaded in traditional Adobe Reader .PDF format here:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/advice/guides/media/managemedia.pdf