Just about everyone uses the Internet each day. Some people use it to keep in touch with people all over the world, some people use it for work, and some people use it for play. People can find just about any answer to any problem if they research it online. Kids know their way around the Internet very well, perhaps even better than their parents do sometimes. But this does not mean that the child is in charge when it comes to the Internet. Parents need to talk to their children about online safety. This article will explain to parents why it is important to talk to their child or children about online safety.
Online Sexual Predators
Perhaps one of the scariest reasons that parents should talk to their children about online safety is because of sexual predators. Sexual predators are very dangerous. Children tend to be quite trusting when they are on the Internet. Perhaps they feel safe because they are in the comfort of their own home and they do not see the people they are talking to face-to-face. Kids meet “friends” online and since they are nice to them then of course they are nice people, right? Wrong. But children don’t know that. People lie, their profiles are not real, and the pictures of them are not really their picture. They will do just about anything to get personal information from the child.
Parents need to explain to children that giving out personal information to someone they meet online is just like giving out personal information to a stranger who calls them on their phone or that they see in person. They don’t really know this person, no matter how many times they have chatted or no matter what they have in common. It is very unlikely that a child would give out the name of their school or their address to someone they didn’t know who called them or they met on the street. Since they wouldn’t give out their information to someone like that, they shouldn’t give it out to them online. There is no reason that the “online friend” needs to know. Parents need to inform their children about online predators because these people are very bad and want to hurt the child. No parent wants their child to get hurt.
Identity Theft
Parents need to talk to their children about online safety because their child’s identity could be stolen. Even though parents may think that their child’s identify is safe because they do not have a credit card, or maybe they don’t have a bank account, the child does have a Social Security number. Many times people who steal identity prefer to steal a child’s identity because they can get away with it even easier since people tend to think that a child’s identity is safer than an adult’s identity.
Parents need to explain the importance about online safety with personal information. Again children can be very trusting of their “friends” online. Children should not give out any personal information to people they meet online. Numbers, such as their Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, and credit card numbers should be kept secret and not be shared with others.
Cyber Bullying
Parents need to talk to their children about online safety because their child could be a victim of cyber bullying or they could be a cyber bully. This can be very detrimental to a child. Gossiping online can hurt people, maybe even worse than just saying it. Once things are written online it is hard, if not impossible, to get them erased. Parents should talk to their children often about being careful about what they say online.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to