OK. That smart 10-year-old down the road knows more about computers than you ever will, but that doesn't mean you can safely ignore the Internet culture. Predators are out there looking for your children.
The good news is that you don't need to become an expert to help protect your kids.
The Basics of Computer Safety
by John McCormick
Here are the simple rules which will eliminate most of the dangers to you, your computer, and your children.
1. Never give out any personal information such as credit card numbers or Social Security numbers over the Internet except to companies you know. Only give those companies the minimum information needed to complete transactions. This is extremely important. Even if you trust the person you are sending the information to, lots of other people may be seeing what you send. Or, their site could get hacked. NOTHING on the Internet is confidential! Credit card (but not debit card) orders are safe because the maximum you might ever have to pay is $50, Even that is extremely rare. Banks treat this the same way they treat card theft and it seldom costs card holders even a penny.
2. Never open an e-mail from someone you don't know. Absolutely never open any attachment you aren't expecting. This is how you get viruses, some of which can monitor all your computer activity and send the information to someone on the Internet. Even if the e-mail appears to come from a friend, confirm that it was sent by that person before opening it because many viruses and worms spread by capturing address books and pretending to be a friend sending a message.
3. Warn your kids never to give out even the most basic information to anyone on the Internet. Not in chat rooms. Not at Web sites. Not through e-mail. Not through instant messaging. Things they shouldn't give out include: their real names, ages, photos, school name, address, favorite arcade location, favorite mall store, and so forth. Unless they are chatting with a friend from school whose address and online name they already know, that understanding priest, cheerleader, teacher, policeman, etc., they think they are talking with may just be a 40-year-old pervert surfing the Internet from his or her prison cell or basement room.
4. Never give anyone your password.
5. Get a free e-mail address from one of the major online services such as Yahoo!. They ask for a lot of information to give out the accounts, but you don't have to tell the truth and shouldn't. Using Yahoo! Mail keeps people from learning your home network name and provides many filters and services to protect your messages. Yahoo! Mail also has an automatic virus scan which is updated every few hours. These e-mail addresses are FREE!. Do NOT use MSN Hotmail addresses. Those get a flood of X-rated mail every day. Click here for Yahoo! This is a safe, secure site but remember that only the basic information is controlled by the company. E-mail, advertisements, various search links, and any instant messages, as well as all of the clubs, are completely out of Yahoo!'s control and can't be completely trusted.
6. Don't run a phone line to your kids' room so they can surf the net in isolation. Keep the computer in the family room or living room. That way the kids never know who might wander past and see what they are doing.
7. You and your kids will get solicitations (spam) for everything from pornography to hair restoration to investment scams. There is no way to eliminate this. But, by using a free e-mail server such as one from yahoo.com, will get you good filters and your address won't give any clue to where in the world you are located.
The most important thing to remember is that you NEVER reply to these spams. Don't even reply to the ones which promise to remove your address if you request. This is a trick. They want you to reply so they know they have a "hot" address which someone actually reads. That makes your address more valuable and they will can sell your address to other spamers.
Search engines are where you go to find things on the Internet. Some of these are particularly designed to be safe for children and teenagers.
Links to "safe" search sites Remember that the Internet changes daily so some of these sites may not be active or may have altered their focus - it's YOUR responsibility to check them periodically. NO filtering software is perfect. You must still pay attention to what your kids are doing.
Safe surfing - although there are a lot of search engines, some are specifically built to be safe for kids.
CyberTIP for parents - there is a link at the bottom of the Yahooligans page which will make it your home page. If you do that then when you go online the initial page which comes on screen will be the kid-safe Yahooligans site.
