Internet Safety: Resources for Parents

Kids are always on the cutting edge of the next technology, and parents tend to be a bit farther behind. So how can we protect our children appropriately from Internet dangers when those dangers seem to change every day?

At a recent Jewish Family Service event for parents and children, "tech guru" Omar Gallaga pointed parents to resources they can use to stay that step ahead. Mr. Gallaga, Austin American-Statesman tech culture writer and National Public Radio "All Tech Considered" contributor suggested:

1. www.google.com/FamilySafety. This website includes instructions for using Google's "SafeSearch" tools for Internet browsing, Youtube, and mobile phones. (It also tells you how to keep the kids from turning the controls off.)

2. www.NetNanny.com. This content-control software product allows parents to block children from objectionable websites, including pornography. Net Nanny offers a similar product for cell phones.

3. www.WhatTheyPlay.com. Video games can be a concern for two reasons: The games themselves can contain violent images and action, sexual themes, and cursing or sexual language -- and some video games allow multiple Internet users to speak to each other. WhatTheyPlay.com lets parents know specific images and language used in the games -- and what children can expect to hear from other players, too.

4. www.safetyweb.com. This service lets parents know exactly what's on the Internet about their child, what information the child is uploading for the world to see -- including text, photos, video, and friends' comments -- and provides alerts for parents regarding inappropriate content, including cyberbullying. The website also offers articles and blogposts on a variety of safety-related topics.

Other resources include www.fbi.gov (search for "Internet safety") and www.netsmartz.org, a source for Internet safety news and information about cyberbullying.

Email, Texting, Facebook--and Our Children

Many parents are concernd about their child's electronic communications: email, texting, Facebook, Internet-based games, and more. But what can they do?

At a recent Jewish Family Service event for parents and children, Marion Underwood, PhD, professor of psychological sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas, had these suggestions:

1. Parents need to guide and socialize their children in the electronic domain just as they would in any other social context.

2. Before allowing a child to begin using email, text messaging, or Facebook, parents can let their child know that they will be monitoring these communications. Parents can request appropriate passwords, spot check text messages, and be their child's Facebook "friend" to see what the child is broadcasting to the world.

3. Parents can be reasonable in how they monitor their child's electronic communication and respectful of the child's developing autonomy. Without becoming overly involved in their child's messaging or relationships, parents can spot check occasionally and use more targeted monitoring if there is a real reason to be concerned.

4. Parents should model constructive, respectful, and reasonable use of electronic communication themselves, and be mindful of the amount of time they spend on texting, Facebook, etc. in their own lives.

5. Remember that nothing about electronic communication is inherently negative. All these technologies can be used in positive ways--including maintaining family contact as the child matures and goes out into the big, wide world.

Next week . . . specific websites to help parents keep up with potential dangers of the Internet.