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For all of you parents who are concerned about your child being safe on the Internet, this website, http://www.microsoft.com/ athome/security/children/default .mspx, can give you some insight. I recommend that every parent go to this website and read and print out its warnings and suggestions for child internet safety.
Before your children start exploring the new frontiers of the Internet, it's a good idea to make sure everyone understands what they should and shouldn't be doing online. One idea is to sit down together and draw up a family code of conduct for all to agree on. You can create a different contract for each child in your family with Internet usage rules set appropriately by age. Everyone signs his or her contract to show that they understand the rules you've set, and they agree to follow them when they go online.
The following is a suggested family code-of- conduct contract for you to use for each of your kids. Feel free to copy this contract, revise the rules as necessary for your family's needs, and print this contract for your personal use. Once the terms of your family Internet usage contract are agreed upon and signed, consider posting these contracts next to each computer in your house to remind everyone of the family Internet rules.
We urge parents to print out this free online code-of-conduct contract and fill in the blanks. Then both you and your child can sign it. You may want to print out two contracts so both you and your child have a copy.
Online Code-of-Conduct Contract
1. I will talk with my parents to learn the rules for using the Internet, including where I can go, what I can do, when I can go online, and how long I can be online (_______ minutes or ______ hours).
2. I will not visit sexually explicit, or otherwise inappropriate Web sites or chat rooms, and agree to have my chat room conversations monitored.
3. I will never give out personal information such as my home address, telephone number, my parents' work address or telephone number, credit card numbers, or the name and location of my school without my parents' permission.
4. I will always tell my parents immediately if I see or receive anything on the Internet that makes me feel uncomfortable or threatened, including e-mail messages, Web sites, or even anything in the regular mail from Internet friends.
5. I will automatically delete any email from persons I don't know.
6. I will never agree to a face-to-face meeting or telephone conversation with anyone I meet online without first obtaining parental permission and I agree to be chaperoned if permission is granted.
7. I will not respond to online messages that make me feel uncomfortable and will show such messages to my parents.
8. I will never send pictures of myself or other family members to other people through the Internet or regular mail without first checking with my parents.
9. I will never download anyone else's picture or photographs without first obtaining parental permission.
10. I will not create a personal Web site without first obtaining parental permission. I agree to parental review of anything I want to post.
11. I will never give out my Internet passwords to anyone (even my best friends) other than my parents.
12. I will be good while online and not do anything that could hurt or anger other people or that is against the law.
13. I will not fill out any online surveys or register at any Web sites without first obtaining parental permission.
14. I will never download, install, or copy anything from disks or the Internet without proper permission.
15. I will never do anything on the Internet that costs money without first asking permission from my parents.
16. I will help my parents understand how to have fun and learn things online and teach them things about the Internet, computers and other technology.
17. I will let my parents know my Internet logon and chat names, listed below:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
18. I will follow all the above rules while on any computer, e.g., at home, at a friend's house, at school, at the library, etc.
I agree to all of the above rules. I understand that breaking even one of the above rules will result in loss of Internet privileges, as well as other consequences.
Name (child) _________________________________ Date _______________
Parent or guardian ____________________________ Date _______________
Are you a teen and need another teen to listen to you? Do you, as a teen, need answers from another teen to your questions about anything?
Go to the following website:
OnYourMind.net: Peer support, chat, information and help...
So, what's on your mind? We're a non-profit web- based organization from teens, for teens that can provide support and referrals through an online chat, ...
http://www. onyourmind.net/
Internet Filter Resources
iKeepSafe Internet Safety Coalition iKeepSafe provides families with all the tools, education, and resources they need to stay safe online and to implement an Internet safety strategy in their ...
http://www.ikeepsafe.org/
Books on children's online safety!
Search the box below for more information on children's online safety or any other subject.
Follow this link, Children and Online Safety
, for information on this subject.
Children's Online Safety In The News
