KEEPING YOUR KIDS SAFE ON THE INTERNET
Presented by Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans

While online computer exploration opens a world of possibilities for children, they can also be exposed to dangers on the web. To minimize the chances of an online predator victimizing your children, take these steps:

1. Talk to your children about potential online danger.
2. Spend time with your children online. Have them show you their favorite online destinations.
3. Keep the computer in a common room in the house, not in your child’s bedroom.
4. Utilize parental controls provided by your service provider and/ or blocking software. Use of chat rooms, in particular, should be closely monitored.
5. Always maintain access to your child’s online account and randomly check their email. Be up front with your child about your access and your concerns.
6. Find out what computer safeguards are utilized by your child’s school, the public library, and at the homes of your children’s friends.

Instruct your children:

• To never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met online;
• To never upload pictures of themselves onto the Internet to people they do not personally know;
• To never give out identifying information such as their name, home address, school name, or telephone number over the Internet;
• To never download pictures from an unknown source;
• To never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are obscene or harassing;
• That whatever they are told online may not be true.

Reporting Online Predators

If you feel your child is in immediate risk, call 911. Contact your local police department and the FBI should any of the following situations arise in your household via the Internet:

• Your child or anyone in the household has received child pornography;
• Your child has been sexually solicited by someone;
• Your child has received sexually explicit images.

If one of these scenarios occurs, keep the computer turned off in order to preserve any evidence for future law enforcement use.

Cyberbullying

42 percent of kids have been bullied while online. One in four have had it happen more than once*. Cyberbullying can take place through several mediums, including instant messaging, text messaging, emails and personal websites.
Tips to guard against cyberbullying provided by the National Crime Prevention Council include:

• Never give out your email password, even to friends.
• If you receive a mean or threatening message, don’t respond. Show it to an adult.
• Never open emails from someone you don’t know.
• Help peers who are harassed online by not joining in.
• If your child has become a victim, let them know that this is a real crime and empathize with their feelings.
• If the source of the bullying has been identified, discuss the event with the parents of the perpetrator, the perpetrator’s school administrators and the site where the information has been posted.

*Data based on 2004 i-SAFE survey of 1,500 students in grades 4 to 8.
Partial Source: www.fbi.gov/publications/pguide/pguidee.htm – A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety