Keeping students safe online

Good afternoon and Happy Friday!
We are well into our internet safety unit. We have talked a lot about what to do to be safe online. One of the most important things we have learned is to tell an adult if we see something that makes us feel unsafe or uncomfortable. But what does the adult do when they are told this information? Below are several tips for adults to help students stay safe on the internet and what to do if a student tells you something has made them feel unsafe:

• Talk to children and teenagers about appropriate online behavior. Set rules as you would with offline behavior. Make it clear they should never give out personal information (name, address, telephone number, school, hangouts, etc.) or meet online friends in person.
• Place the computer in a common area in the home, such as a family room, and not in a child's bedroom. This will discourage forbidden and risky activities while online.
• Monitor usage of social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Let children know in advance you'd like to view their profiles—they're less likely to feel cornered or "busted."
• Don't forget about cell phones. Text messaging is increasing in popularity, and adult predators are becoming more innovative at preying on children and teens. Check cell phone bills and text messages for suspicious behavior.

Parents or other caregivers may feel uncomfortable doing so much monitoring of children's Internet usage, especially with teens. But remember, the first duty is to protect kids, even if they feel their privacy is being violated. Adults can talk with kids about why their computer use needs such close observation and that it's not the kids, it's the predators they don't trust. With open communication between adults and children, the Internet can be fun and useful for the entire family. (http://www.socket.net/tech-talk/keeping-kids-safe-online)

If you think your child is being contacted by an online predator, seek immediate help from the following resources:

• Local police: If your child is in immediate danger, you should call 911. Otherwise, you can call your local police's non-emergency number to report a problem.
• CyberTipline: Visit www.cybertipline.com from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children or call (800) 843-5678 to report crimes against children
  (http://www.gcflearnfree.org/internetsafetyforkids/2.3)

Remember to surf safely!
See you in Computer Lab