As
if
helping
navigate
your
children
through
the
daily
ups
and
downs
of
the
middle
school
years
wasn’t
confusing
enough,
now
you
have
to
grapple
with
how
to
help
your
pre-teens
safely
through
a
whole
new
realm
–
the
virtual
world
of
the
Internet.
The
Internet
has
been
a
true
innovation
for
kids
–
here
they
can
socialize
via
instant
messaging,
post
their
own
web
pages,
access
information
and
talk
with
people
from
all
walks
of
life.
But
it
has
also
opened
up
a
world
of
potential
threats.
Keeping
your
children
safe
from
those
things
you
know
they
are
not
emotionally
or
intellectually
ready
to
handle
can
be
a
challenge,
especially
at
an
age
when
they
naturally
want
more
freedom
to
explore
new
ideas
and
relationships.
Here
are
some
of
the
online
hazards
children
may
come
upon,
along
with
suggestions
that
families
can
use
to
help
ensure
that
their
children
are
safely
and
responsibly
exploring
the
Internet:
Meeting
someone
harmful
online
Unbeknownst
to
your
children,
the
12-year-old
Star
Wars
fan
they
meet
in
a
chat
room
may
actually
be
a
42-year-old
sexual
predator.
To
prevent
them
from
unintentionally
becoming
involved
with
someone
harmful:
-
Talk
with
them
about
the
fact
that
the
people
they
meet
online
may
not
really
be
who
they
say
they
are
and
may
want
to
do
them
harm.
-
Take
an
interest
in
the
friends
your
children
meet
online,
just
as
you
would
the
friends
they
meet
at
school.
-
Prohibit
or
monitor
your
children’s
use
of
chat
functions.
Preview
the
chat
rooms
they
use,
and
make
sure
their
screen
names
do
not
identify
them
as
children.
-
If
your
child
has
a
web
page,
know
what’s
on
it.
Make
sure
it
does
not
include
their
photos,
contact
information
or
other
private
family
details.
-
Instruct
your
children
NEVER
to
meet
face-to-face
with
online
acquaintances.
Let
them
know
this
is
the
single
greatest
danger
the
Internet
presents
to
their
safety
and
welfare.
-
Install
blocking
software
or
a
filter
to
limit
the
sites
your
children
can
visit
or
restrict
them
from
giving
out
their
names,
addresses
and
phone
numbers
or
those
of
your
family
and
friends.
-
If
you
suspect
online
"stalking"
or
sexual
exploitation,
report
it
to
the
police.
You
can
also
visit
the
National
Center
for
Missing
and
Exploited
Children’s
website:
www.missingkids.com.
Inappropriate
material
Every
family
has
its
own
definition
of
what
is
inappropriate.
On
the
Internet,
this
may
include
sites
that
are
sexual
in
nature,
contain
violent
or
hateful
material,
or
advocate
the
use
of
weapons
or
harmful
substances.
To
protect
your
child:
-
Set
rules
about
where
your
kids
can
go
online
and
what
to
do
if
they
happen
upon
inappropriate
sites.
http://www.safekids.com
includes
suggestions
for
creating
a
family
Internet
policy
and
printable
contracts.
-
Keep
computer(s)
in
a
public
area
of
the
house.
When
your
children
are
online,
walk
into
the
room
periodically
and
check
on
the
sites
they
visit.
-
Set
up
Internet
accounts
in
your
name
and
be
the
guardian
of
the
password.
-
Limit
when
your
children
can
use
the
Internet.
http://www.getnetwise.com/tools/index.php3?definition=timelimits
includes
information
on
time
limiting
software
that
prevents
kids
from
going
online
when
you
are
not
around.
-
Be
aware
of
other
computers
your
children
may
be
using
(i.e.,
in
friends’
homes)
and
make
sure
they
are
being
supervised.
Sorting
fact
from
fiction
With
so
many
sites
to
visit,
it’s
easy
to
be
overwhelmed
by
information.
To
limit
the
range
of
sites
your
children
have
to
choose
from
and
to
help
them
develop
a
"critical
eye:"
-
Require
your
children
to
use
only
kid-friendly
search
engines,
such
as
Yahooligans
www.yahooligans.comand
Ask
Jeeves
Kids
www.ajkids.com.
-
Encourage
them
to
question
information
they
find
online.
By
visiting
sites
with
them,
you
can
help
them
make
sense
of
the
material
they
find
and
teach
them
to
tell
the
difference
between
facts,
opinions,
rumors
and
lies.
