Internet
Safety
There
is an enormous amount of information about keeping your children
safe online. Here we attempt to offer you a few of the best
websites. Most of the websites we looked at repeated what these
few have to offer.
There
is no one size fits all solution to keeping our kids safe online.
However, there are some basic rules for online safety. We suggest
surfing these sites, and then taking an online quiz with your
child. Talk to them about their answers. Print out the "Family
Contract for Online Safety" available online at safekids.com,
and stick by it.
Nothing
can replace parental involvement, but here is information that
we hope will provide you with an understanding of the issue,
and better prepare you to guide your children as they surf the
web. Our own self-published booklet entitled "Parents Internet
Guide: searching wisely and safely" is available to download
in PDF format.
Internet
Resources
If you are looking for more websites on the topic, try using
these terms when you do your search: "Internet Safety"
and "Children and Internet."
Cyberangels.org
www.cyberangels.org
Cyberangels
is a worldwide volunteer organization that is dedicated to helping
people who need help online.
getnetwise.org
www.getnetwise.org
Hosted by Internet Industry Corporations & Public Service
Organizations, this is a large, excellent resource. Their safety
guides are grouped by age from 2-17 years-old.
Kidz
Privacy
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/kidzprivacy/index.html
The
Federal Trade Commission's tips for keeping personal information
about your children private when online and their rules for
website operators.
Parent's
Internet Guide
http://www.nassaulibrary.org/parent/guide.pdf
Learn how to keep your children safe. Includes"discussion
starters" to help you talk to your kids about online safety.
This booklet was written by the Nassau Library System's Technology
Committee and is available online. You will need Adobe Acrobat
Reader to acess it. Click
here if you want to download the free software.
Safekids.com
www.safekids.com
Safekids.com is probably the most respected online safety site.
The creator, Larry Magid wrote "Child Safety on the Information
Highway" for the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children. That article is available here as well as a wealth
of other useful and timely information.
Surf
Swell Island
http://disney.go.com/family/surfswell
Produced by Disney, Goofy, Minnie & Mickey guide your child
through 3 quizzes to help young children understand online safety.
Fun & informative.
Library
Resources
Books
Your
local puclic library can be a great resource for books dealing
with online issues.
Your
library's database collection is another resource that you may
want to explore. Check with your librarian if you need help
searching this resource or visit your library online at www.nassaulibrary.org/list/nasslist.html
Cybersafety:
surfing online by Joan Vos MacDoland.
Practical book on surfing the Internet safely.
Keeping
Kids Safe: Guide for Parents of Toddlers and Teens-and all the
years in-between by Kenneth Shore.
One
chapter addresses internet safety in this informative and reassuring
book for parents.
The
Parent's Guide to Protecting Children in Cyberspace by Parry
Aftab.
Parents
will find a wealth of useful tips and information presented
in a friendly and entertaining manner.
Nassau
Library System
| Kidspage
Health & Safety 
