Surfing Safe

With the boom in cyberspace, it has become even harder to keep your children away from accessing the malicious content on the internet. For parents, this is a double-edged sword: on the one hand is the easily available adult content on websites including social networking websites and chat rooms. And on the other hand, it is not practical to restrict children from accessing the internet since most of their educational needs are fulfilled through surfing on the web.

However, parents need to at least make their children aware of these issues. A good guide to this is Safe Kids, a website dedicated to safe surfing on the internet. It also provides information on the major security and privacy issues online that one needs to know before embarking on a journey through cyberspace.

The best place to start reading through the material on this website is the blog entries. The Safe Kids blog makes for a highly enlightening read since it focuses on the nitty gritty of issues like digital photography and appropriate use of cellphone cameras, social networking websites which are exclusively designed for kids, and most importantly, a little advice for parents as to what they should do and where they should set the limits.

Besides the blog, the website offers different sections that deal with online safety. Here, there are in-depth articles and recommendations for parents as well as children. These articles mainly deal with risks in cyberspace like molestation, bullying, harassment and exposure to adult/inappropriate material. You will also find articles on how to ensure that one does not give out private information on websites and in chat rooms. There is a pledge-of-sorts for the children as well, which can be printed out and pasted near the PC as a reminder. This pledge says, “I will tell my parents if...” and there are a number of things that come after it. The dos and don’ts are there for daily reminders along with tips on a safe blogging experience.

It is important to remember that websites like Safe Kids cater to parents more than to children. It is essential that parents know the issues, the risks and the precautions regarding their children surfing activities, so that they can guide them accordingly. Setting up an internet connection at home and letting children (especially tweens) access cyberspace without any chaperone and guidance can prove catastrophic in the long term.

To keep an eye on the crucial issues regarding safety of your child in cyberspace, log on to http://www.safekids.com