When you are a single parent your child may spend more time unsupervised than you would like, it’s important to teach them basic safety. One of the big areas that you need to be concerned with is the internet. While there are many good things online, education things, there are other things that can be harmful if your child ventures in unsupervised. Everyone has heard stories of online predators and bullies, so how do we protect our kids?
I think the most important thing you can do it talk with your children. Before they go online the first time it is important to talk to them about their safety. Some main things they should know:
• Never post your real name, chose a cute name you like and let that be your online moniker, something silly like Monkey or Batman.
• Never post your real age.
• Never post any identifying information, the name of your town, your school, even your school mascot or team name.
• If you do not know someone in real life, do not talk to them online.
• If you are ever uncomfortable about a conversation or image, talk to your parents.
• Never agree to meet someone you met online.
Remind your child it is nothing they have done, that you trust them completely but that other people are not so trustworthy. Explain to them how easy it is to pretend to be someone you’re not when no one can see you.
When children are younger I believe the only safe internet experience is one that is supervised. When I was first divorced, Hailey was ten; our computer was locked with a password until I was home from work and could supervise her online activities. There are also parental controls that will block websites so that when your child is innocently surfing to do a homework assignment they don’t click on something inappropriate.
Never put a computer in a child’s room. The computer should be in a main living area where everyone can see it. Talk about what they do online, who they talk to, even the games they play.
As they get older it is harder to supervise their internet use all the time. There are key loggers and the like that allow you to see exactly what they are doing online, who they are talking to, and if you want, read their entire conversations.
You should insist on knowing all of their passwords. Let them know that this is a precaution and you are not snooping but if you believe there could be a problem you will log in and take a look around. This includes all email passwords and any passwords for social media sites such as Facebook.
The most important thing is to talk to your child. Keep the lines of communication open so they feel comfortable coming to you if there is a problem. There are so many good uses for the internet but like most things, a few bad apples seem to set the tone for everyone. By being involved, talking and interacting with your child, while they are on the computer, you can make sure their online experience is a positive one, and if something happens, they will have the tools to deal with it.