Old Bridge Township Public Schools

Technology Department

Know What Your Kids Do Online

There are technological tools you can use to protect your children online from predators, intrusive businesses, and websites that publish offensive content.  However, the most effective thing you can do is to spend time with your children while they are surfing and be aware of what they are doing.

Here are some safe surfing tips:

• Don't hide your computer in your child's bedroom.  Put the computer in a common area, such as a family room, where you can keep an eye on what they are viewing.

• Have your kids show you their favorite websites.  Turn it into a game; you can also show them some sites you like.  If you get involved in your children's online activities, they'll be more likely to listen to your suggestions and you will have an easier time monitoring what they are doing.

• Direct your kids to sites that are regarded as "safe" sites.  Click here for a list of SAFE SITES.

• Choose an Internet Service Provider (ISP) which allows you to "filter" or "block" the content your children see.  ISPs such as America Online and MSN, as well as search engines such as Yahoo allow you to set up filters for your children according to age categories.  Check your "HELP" screen on your ISP to learn how to block unsolicited e-mail and instant messages from people you do not know.  You can also block your children's access to websites according to specific web address (URL) or category.

Here are some basic rules for parents to remember:

• Make sure your child doesn't spend all his or her time online.  People, not computers, should be their best friends and companions.

• Teach your child to be alert and vigilant.  The best "filters" they have are their brains and their mouths.  Teach your child to tell you when someone contacts them, asks them for personal information, or shares with them inappropriate information.

• Learn enough about computers so that you and your child can enjoy them together.

• Teach your child to never agree to meet an "online" friend "offline" unless you are with them.

• Keep your children out of chat rooms unless they are "child safe" and you are monitoring their conversation.

• If you are not sure about the content of a website, PREVIEW IT.  Explore the site on your own.  Make sure to click on several links, both internal and external.  Navigate through several layers of the website.  Very often, savvy predators will create benign-looking sites only to  bombard children with offensive materials after they have explored three or four links.  Sometimes, these predators will post objectionable material in small doses and as the child explores the website, the exposure escalates.  Your best defense against this type of exposure is a strong offense--know what your kids are looking at.

• "Google" your children and yourself often and set alerts for your child's contact information.  The alerts will e-mail you when any of the searched terms are spotted online.  This is an "early warning system" for cyberbullying posts and can help you spot ways in which your child's personal information may be exposed to strangers online.  To learn how to "Google" them, visit www.InternetSuperHeroes.org.

• Don't store your credit card information on your computer. As inconvenient as it might be to have to access it from somewhere else, it creates too much of a temptation for computer-savvy kids and their friends.

• Don't give out your passwords or store them where they can be found: remember that those who control the passwords control the world. Find a password you can remember easily, but one that's not so obvious that your children can figure it out. Also, change your password frequently. When you type it in, don't let them look over your shoulder. Never store it on your hard drive, or preprogram it into your sign on screen.

• Check your child's online profiles, blogs, and social-networking posts.  Teach your child to keep private information private (telephone numbers, addresses, full names, cell numbers, schools, etc.)  Social-Networking sites include:

• Warn your children that people may not be what they seem to be and that the people that want to "chat" with them are not their real friends.

• Find out what types of accounts your child has online.  This should include e-mail and instant messaging accounts.  You should ask your child for their passwords (but agree not to "spy" on them).  Encourage your child to share with you the types of messages and e-mails they encounter online.

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