INTERNET
AWARENESS
5 million children are already online either at home or at school
Paedophiles’ power
to lure child victims using the internet, has been exposed in disturbing,
recent editions of Coronation Street.
Sarah Louise Platt, the Street’s teenage mother, who’s
been feeling house-bound and isolated, is befriended by Gary in
an internet chatroom.
Believing him to be her own age, she agrees to meet at his house
- only to discover he’s a man in his 30’s who becomes
extremely menacing when she tries to leave. A soap opera - yes,
but truth can be stranger than fiction.
On Your Behalf surfs the net to find out who your children
could be talking to - online.
Internet Chat
Parents who have bought their
teenagers mobile phones, know just how much children love to chat.
Text messaging on mobiles is now very popular. However when children
chat in the playground, on the street corner or on their mobiles,
they generally know who they are talking to - not so with Internet
Chat!
The Internet brings the world
into our living rooms - the good and the not so good.
How can parents best protect their children and ensure that they
are using the Internet and chat rooms safely?
It can be a tough job bringing
up children today. Having to keep them safe on the road, making
sure they aren't bullied in the playground, helping them to make
wise decisions.
Then, just when you thought that your house was a safe place for
your children, along comes the internet!
Private world
Teenagers love the immediacy of Chat and the fact that it is very
much a private world - one which their parents know little of and
will never enter.
Indeed to parents who have
spent time in a chat room, a great deal of the conversation appears
to be inane and cryptic.
Again this makes young people feel that they are different and have
their own private world.
The internet is like bringing
a city into your living room and as a parent there are lots of places
in a city where you wouldn’t want your children to go!
Virtual Trip
You therefore need to "take the virtual trip together"
just as you would in an off line world, and help your children stick
to the positive.
This means you doing some homework and understanding the issues
- especially how Internet Chat works and how your children are using
it.
Internet parenting skills are
very similar to other parenting skills, indeed helping children
to be smart online, will help them to remember the "stranger
danger" rules and be alert to the dangers in the outside world.
What if my children know
more than I do?
Many adults can feel intimidated
in using the Internet and are baffled by some of the terms and technology,
especially about Internet Chat.
While it is true that many children take to the Internet more quickly
than adults, children still need parental advice and protection.
It is vital that you understand the issues and the simple safety
steps you can take to help keep children safe.
Don’t put it off!
You don’t need to know everything about the Internet and all
the technical details - after all you can teach your children the
importance of wearing a seat belt in a car without understanding
how the car engine works!
Parents and carers need
to:-
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take the time
to learn how the internet works |
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discuss the
safety issues of internet chat rooms with your children |
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make sure
your children know never to reveal any personal details about
themselves in a chat room |
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never allow
your children to meet anyone they have contacted in a chat room
without going with them |
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stick to the
positive |
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consider using
filtering software |
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know who to
report to |
Remember the five point
safety plan on line:-
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make sure
you keep personal details secret |
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do not meet
someone contacted through the web without parental permission |
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do not accept
emails or files from organisations you do not know and trust |
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remember that
someone online may not be who they say they are |
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tell your
teacher or parent if someone or something on the net makes you
feel uncomfortable |
Childnet International
exists to make sure that the Internet becomes a great place for
children and that their interests are promoted and protected.
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