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Author: Carolyn Clayton
The Internet has its many uses and can provide us with any information
that we require, however the Internet also holds a lot of material
that is deemed highly unsafe and inappropriate for the eyes of
a child. This is why there is a need now more than ever to protect
children online.
The Internet has its many uses and can provide us with any information
that we require, however the Internet also holds a lot of material
that is deemed highly unsafe and inappropriate for the eyes of
a child. This is why there is a need now more than ever to protect
children online.
You sadly hear it everyday, stories in the press about children
who have been groomed in chat rooms and exposed to explicit content.
Did you know that there are roughly 30,000 new pornographic links
created on a daily basis? Or that nearly a third of young people
have been exposed to unwanted sexual comments online? It’s
shocking to think that only 7% of these children’s parents
realise that this has happened.
In America there have been calls to the major search engines
to hand over search records containing the addresses of adult
sites as to further understand how often web users come into contact
with such sites and as a way of testing these sites against web
filtering technology to see if they are caught out by the filters
that many parents rely on to protect their children.
Many parents world wide rely on web filtering to protect their
children from a side of the Internet that contains adult sites
and exposes them to a world of paedophiles. It has however been
stated that web filters on there own aren’t enough to keep
our children safe whilst they are online. If parents want to ensure
their children’s safety then more needs to be done. Filters
aren’t perfect and probably never will be but the job that
they do is a good one. Filters do of course work better when they
are combined with parenting. Parents should talk to their children
about their online activities and advise them about online chat
and how to remain safe. They should explain:
•People aren’t necessarily who they say they are online.
Be careful who you trust.
•Its best not to meet people in person if you have only spoke
them online.
•Keep personal information secret. Including: name, address,
phone numbers, email addresses or pictures
•You can walk away from an uncomfortable or unpleasant conversation
simply by logging out.
•They should talk to you if they feel uncomfortable online.
•Be especially careful about private chat messages.
•Use a nickname, not your real name.
•If you use instant messaging, don’t accept messages
from people you don’t know; don’t add people to your
buddy list unless you know them personally.
You should also encourage your child to report anything that
they find disturbing as well as how to block or delete people
from getting in contact with them.
Filter companies have the hard task of handling the exploding
amount of content that appears on the Internet on a daily basis
as well as tackling the new ways that children are getting online
such as video ipods and mobile phones.
It is of great importance that you talk to your children about
the dangers of online communication as this demonstrates to your
child that you are there for them if they ever need to approach
you about a bad experience that they may encounter whilst being
online.
About Author
Helen is the web master of MySpamBin, specialists in all of your
Web Filtering Software needs.
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Article Source: http://www.1888articles.com/author-carolyn-clayton-1268.html
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