Helpfull hints on makeing the internet safe for children.
This document can only help, the advice within is not gurantied to show all signs. But it may be of some help.
What's inside?
Prevent problems before they happen.
Notes about filtration software.
Why be concenred?
Millions and milions of people use the internet everyday of thier lives. Using it to look up a recipe, or for more perverse reasons. It's hard to tell who your realy talking to. Are they who they say they are? More often that not probably not. They may just be using the internet to conduct iligal/imoral activity.
This iligal/imoral activity ranges from the normal pornography to someting even worse. The worst fear of any parent anywhere. You know what I'm talking about, sexual preditors. The type that are so pathetic they only go after children. They are a very real threat. Thankfully since the governmenet has been cracking down on them the problem has lessoned. But it's still a very real threat.
If you have spent any amount of time on the internet, you know how much indecent material exists out there. Few of the services even implement a good way to keep children from the material. One realy good example is www.ampland.com. To get in, all you have to do is click the "I'm over 18" link. How is this going to stop anybody? It doesn't, but makes the lawyers happy. It's not enough.
The web is only a small part of the internet. Thier are several other ways the enemy can get past your defences.
* IRC, allows your children to chat with strangers.
* ICQ, Also alows chatting, but is more dangerous.
* email, Possibly the worst of them all (will expalin later)
Now that you know how your children can interact with strangers what are you going to do about it?
What's realy going on?
It comes down to the corruption of youth. Be it by them finding some graphic photos and becomeing addicted, or something even more hanus. Thier are people out there that want nothing less than to corrupt your children. They ususaly hide behind some great fisaud, to make themselves more attractve to the target. Living lives that are nothing more than a lie, and conqest.
I've been on the ineternet long before the web existed. None of these problems are new. Having your kids surf the net without you present is not unlike letting them run around in New york unwatched. It's one of those things that you just shouldn't do.
How many times have you told them not to talk to strangers? Probably not enough. When you let them on the net, that's exactly what your giving them permission to do. It can be a wonderfull experence, but it's mixed with danger.
Prevent problems before they happen.
Keys to keeping your children safe.
* Spend time with them as they surf
* Know who they are talking to
* Don't let them give out personal information
* Never let net-friends visit them
* Keep discussion open, how do they feel
* Block out offensive material
This won't stop all problems, but it will prevent many from happening before they do. Your child may feel opressed by this. Just keep the discussion open. After you belive they know how to take care of themselves on the net, your free to not read over thier shoulder nearly as often. This will reinfoce the trust issue. But just because your not looking at that moment doesn't mean your not paying attention. Keep an eye out for anything that you don't want them to be viewing.
This includes skimming thier chatlogs from time to time, just to make shure. With ICQ, pull up thier friends info, read it. If they have a webpage, go there and explore. You may find out that they arn't who they seem to be.
What I'm suggesting is spying. You may not like this idea, but I would highly suggest it. I'm not suggesting you read through everything, just search for suspicious things.
Browsing the web can be fun, and it leaves a trail. You will find a 'cache' directory somewhere on the computer. Dependint on what browser you use. Just open it up, and look at what's in it. This is the best way to see where they have been going.
Notes about filtration software.
Thier are several programs availble to 'limit' what your children can see on the net. They don't work nearly as well as advertiesed, but are still usefull. It's hard for a computer to decide what's 'appropirate'. I would still suggest looking into getting one. It can help you by blocking out indecent material. But don't let it fool you into a false sence of security.
NetNanny and CyberSitter are the two most common. Both of them are desinged to block out certan types of information, and alert you that an attemt was made to access it. This can be very usefull.
In closing.
I'd like to refer you to another site that is full of usefull tips and tricks to keep your kids safe.
Please send any comments to xpurple@email.com.
EOF