Internet Safety Tips for Middle School Kids
The facts: Most teens are creating content online
- 64% of online teens engage in some type of content creation, like blogging
- Nearly 3 out of 4 parents of kids 9 and up who use the Internet at home say they know "a lot" about what their kids are doing online
- Over 40% of preteens and teens surveyed said they've recently come across nudity and pornography on the Internet
- 43% of teens say they've been cyberbullied
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Advice and Answers
Tips for keeping your child safe online
1 Tell your kids:
- Never share names, schools, ages, phone numbers, or addresses
- Never send pictures to strangers
- Keep passwords private (except to parents)
2 Visit age-appropriate sites. Find sites that promote learning, creativity, and that deepen your kids’ interests. Also check out popular Web sites before your kids visit them. Social networks like MySpace or Facebook are not meant for middle school kids.
3 Minimize chatting with strangers. Tell your kids that people aren’t always who they say they are on the Internet. Anyone can pose as a “buddy of a buddy.” If kids are playing online games, they should be careful not to disclose anything personal.
4 Help kids think critically about what they find online. They need to know everything they see isn’t true. Also use safe search settings for young kids or filtering software. Check browser histories to see where they’ve been.
5 If they wouldn’t do it in real life, they shouldn’t do it online. Don’t say mean things, and no cheating in games or at school.
6 Have some rules about time and place. Set limits on the amount of time kids spend online. Don’t let them Instant Message during homework. Restrict time and sites for online gaming.
7 Agree on downloads. What music is okay? Which video sites? Don’t give your kids your credit card information. If they need to buy something, you should be involved.
8 Talk about privacy. Show kids where privacy settings are on their favorite sites and make sure they use them. Remind kids that when they post something online, they lose control of it. It can be cut and pasted and sent around the Web.
9 Make sure kids know to tell someone – it doesn’t have to be you – if anything suspicious, cruel, or scary happens. They need to know they won’t get in trouble.
10 Be involved and view your own habits carefully. Parents are their role models for safe and smart use. Enjoy the good stuff together!
I totally agree with gameman675! Very good point! like the facebook/myspace story too. Really makes you stop and think.
Great job!
ummm, I e-mail my friends a LOT!
So i suggest getting your kids their own e-mail accounts.
i like clubpenguin it has a good enviorment that doesnt show exaggerated avatar bodies, etc and a great moderator
once my mom asked if she could go on my myspace.
and I said no.
she asked why?
so then I asked her if I could go on her facebook.
she said no.
I asked why?
lets just let that soak into our brains about
how kids privacy from parents is just as good as parents privacy from kids.
wetpaint is okay, but www.freewebs.com has a few more features.
If parents aren't aware of how the net works and the latest social sites etc they really need to take a class and understand where your kids are going and what type of material is on the sites they are viewing, what settings sites have when it comes to privacy and more. If left alone by the time kids get to college if they aren't doing well they may know they can get a fake diploma online and use it to get a job rather then try and finish.
Agreed with WOWitsme
Thanks for the pointer to whyville.com. Most communities for tweens are too babyish for 12 year olds. My daughter was interested right away. If anyone has any more suggestions I'd like to hear them.
Thanks Rocketmom!
slamx
I like the virtual world Whyville.com for tween girls