Family and Child Online Safety Blog - SafetyClicks

Richard A. Smith provides some great insight in The Huffington Post about Social Networks and what they mean to us today. Here is just one of his interesting observations as to why being a part of a social network is so beneficial.

For the first time in human history, technology enabled social media allow us to exponentially expand our network of weak ties, potentially into the thousands over a lifetime. In so doing, these tools dramatically increase the flow of knowledge and opportunity available to each of us.

To read the rest of the report go to The Huffington Post.

A recent market research group conducted a Kids & Digital Content study that revealed kids are downloading and playing games as much as ever.

"Although the most dramatic increase in usage of these devices happens at about age 9, playing games appears to be an activity that first engages young kids with the digital world," commented NPD analyst Anita Frazier. "Our study finds that 82 percent of kids ages 2 to 5 play games on one or more of the devices surveyed."

Read more about this study at Gamespot.com.

Recently Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell paid us a visit here at AOL and we got a chance to chat with him about online safety. You don't have to be on the topic long before you realize how important General McDonnell considers educating families about online safety. He did not hesitate when we asked if he would blog on the subject for our SafetyClicks parents.

Working Together Fosters A Safer Online Environment

Click here to learn more about Bob McDonnell.

Reach out to your local elected official to see if your state provides Internet safety training in the classroom. By listening to parents, government can institute sound and effective policies to foster a safer online environment. Our goal is to stop child endangerment on every front. With regard to the Internet, we have learned that a little knowledge can go a long way.

In just a few short years, the Internet has brought about remarkable advances and fundamentally changed how information is disseminated. Today, we have unprecedented access to valuable data and the ability to communicate with people around the globe instantly.

With the click of a mouse, our children can access the complete works of Shakespeare, the latest scientific journals and ancient religious texts. They have an entrée into far off communities and, at the same time, better insight into their own state and local government. The potential is wonderful.

As society's virtues have found a home on the Internet, so too have some very disturbing evils. The inherent openness and anonymity of the Internet have provided a hiding place for child predators, con artists and identity thieves.

The following seven tips for teens are brought to you by our good friends at ConnectSafely.org. I recommend sending this post to your child via e-mail and then following up with a conversation. You may even want to print it out to stick to the refrigerator:

Be your own person. Don't let friends or strangers pressure you to be someone you aren't. And know your limits. You may be Net-savvy, but people and relationships change, and unexpected stuff can happen on the Internet.

Be nice online. Or at least treat people the way you'd want to be treated. People who are nasty and aggressive online are at greater risk of being bullied or harassed themselves. It's a vicious cycle you really don't want to get into.

Think about what you post. Sharing provocative photos or intimate details online, even in private emails, can cause you problems later on. Even people you consider friends can use this info against you, especially if they become ex-friends.

There is only so much you can control in life. This is especially true when you have young children that grow into curious tweens and (inevitably!) willful teens. The older our little ones get, the less say we as parents seem permitted. On the one hand you want to support their independence, on the other you wish they remained inside a safe little bubble where you controlled what they did. Since the "bubble" approach to parenting is obviously no good, the best we can do is make sure we equip our children with good information and the confidence to use good judgment.

Being armed with the combination of good information and good judgment is particularly important when you allow your child to be online. Talking to your kids regularly about how to be safe goes a long way. Even if you think they aren't listening, some or all of what you tell them is bound to sink in. So the more you can make the topic of keeping safe online a part of your day-to-day conversations, the more you provide your child the building blocks for a fun, enriching and safe online experience.

Although it is up to each parent to develop the rules that best apply to your child, there are some fundamental household rules that every parent should think about including.

? Keep the computer in a central location in the home instead of a child's bedroom.

? Anything that makes a child feel uncomfortable should be shared with a parent.

? Do not believe everything you read on the Internet.

? Children cannot meet people they meet online without a parent.

? Do not share passwords with anyone, including friends.

As September rolls around again the familiar scents of the season begin to fill the air. I am of course referring to the smell of new books, shiny erasers, bright highlighters and sharpened pencils. Yes parents, it is that time of year again: Time to roll the kids out of bed at the crack of dawn and see them off to their next milestone, whatever grade that may be. For some parents this is a little sad; they love having the kids around and truly enjoy the summer pursuits that go along with it. For other parents, this day could not come soon enough. But no matter which camp you fall into, you no doubt want your child to start that first day of school as prepared as possible. Not just equipped with the right school supplies. You want them armed with knowledge on how to keep safe.

To help parents in the pursuit of keeping their children safe online, the Americans for Technology Leadership (ATL), a coalition of technology and consumer groups, recently launched a "Back to School Center" to help educate parents on ways to keep kids safe online as they head back to school. This is a wonderful tool for parents to refer to as they prepare to discuss Internet use and expected online behavior with their kids. The tips are broken down into several areas so that parents can focus on the information most important to them.

I encourage you -- as a parent that cares about what your child is doing online (otherwise you would not be reading this blog) -- to take a few minutes and peruse what this group has put together. Let us know what you think.

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