HOW SAFE IS YOUR CHILD ONLINE

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HOW SAFE IS YOUR CHILD ON-LINE?
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Advancements in technology allow for
opportunities to connect to people, with the
internet being a communication tool used the
world over.
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Unfortunately this privilege can come at a high
cost.
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DID YOU KNOW

• 2 in 5 youths reported that personal information
  was requested from them on-online.
• Half of these youths admitted to giving
  information.
• Fewer than 1 out 10 informed their parents.
• 1 in 4 youths have been requested to meet in
  person by someone they met on-line.
• 1 in 7 admit to meeting on-line friends in
  person.
• 1 in 8 reported the encounter to be a bad
  experience.
• www.getwebwise.ca

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Implementing internet safety rules in your home
is essential to minimize the risks of your family
being targeted for on-line crime.

• 43 of grade 6/7 children without internet rules
  visited inappropriate sites
• With a rule, the occurrence reduced to 14
• www.media-awareness.ca

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What Are the Risks?Visit www.bewebaware.ca for
more information

• Cyber bullying on-line harassment is a growing
  problem, please visit www.cyberbullying.org for
  more information.
• Identity theft internet users of all ages can
  fall victim to fraud.
• Desensitization - accidental tourism may find
  children in inappropriate sites.
• Pornography - deceitful domain names make it easy
  for children to inadvertently access pornography
  sites.
• Online predators anonymity can provide a false
  sense of security, opening opportunities for
  predation.

• Spam unsolicited electronic junk mail, such as
  chain letters.
• Misinformation information on-line can be
  inaccurate and deceiving.
• Violent or hateful content the internet is
  saturated with unpleasant imagery easily
  accessible by children.
• Gambling with minimum age requirements
  difficult to enforce, children can effortlessly
  be exposed to gambling.
• Internet addiction the hours of entertainment
  available on-line are limitless and can be quite
  appealing.

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What Can Parents Do to Minimize the Risks?Visit
www.cybertip.ca/en/parental_controls/resources_for
_parents/ for more information.

• Keep the computer in a high traffic area of the
  house avoid placing it in a private area such
  as the bedroom.
• Install filtering software this should not
  replace supervision. http//projects.cbe.ab.ca/sss
  /ilscommunity/filtering/safe-searching.asp
• Develop reasonable guidelines and create a family
  contract. www.safekids.com/family-contract-for-on
  line-safety

• Know your childs passwords and usernames let
  them know the importance of keeping this
  information private.
• Get to know your childs on-line friends and
  become web-slang savvy. www.transl8it.com
• Have your child demonstrate how s/he uses the
  internet - children under the age of ten should
  not surf the net alone.

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What Should Parents Be Discussing With Their
Children?Visit http//safecanada.ca/link_e.asp?ca
tegory3topic94 for more on-line safety tips.

• The importance of keeping personal information
  private.
• Remind children that people are not necessarily
  who they say they are it is easy to lie
  on-line.
• The internet is a public place - anything posted,
  such as photographs, becomes available to the
  world.
• Discuss what your child is reading and seeing on
  the internet.
• Allow your child to feel comfortable in
  approaching you with anything that makes him/her
  feel uncomfortable.
• Let your child know that they can come to you
  without risk of losing on-line privileges.
• Respect. www.stopcyberbullying.org

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Parents need to understand that the greatest
risk our children face online is being denied
access http//www.wiredsafety.org/parent.html
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Remember

• It is vital to keep the lines of communication
  open so that your child will WANT to share their
  concerns with you.

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These sites host interactive games for children
to learn about internet safety.

• www.media-awareness.ca/english/games/index.cfm
• www.youthlinkcalgary.com/index.php?id13
• www.netsmartzkids.org/games/index.htm
• www.livewwwires.com/index-set.htm

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Be Pro-Active in Promoting On-Line Safety in Your
Home!

• For further information, please visit the
  following sites recommended by Constable Kathy
  MacDonald, cyber crime prevention specialist.
• www.cybertip.ca
• www.bewebaware.ca
• www.internet101.ca
• www.calgarypolice.ca/community/presentation.html

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To report on-line crime please visit
www.cybertipline.com