The Internet can be a dangerous place for your children if they aren’t prepared. Most kids don’t have the experience or judgment to recognize online danger, leaving them vulnerable to both accidental and deliberate assaults on their innocence and worse.
Probably the most important thing you can teach your child about online safety is to never reveal personal information. Not their name, address or phone number.
Not their school, their team, their activities. Nothing that could be used to identify your child…because predators can be very creative.
Keeping personal information private not only means from queries from individuals, but also on forms such as surveys and signup forms. Indeed, your child shouldn’t sign up for anything online without your knowledge and permission.
Children should also understand they must not arrange to meet or talk to any online friend in person, no matter how well they think they “know” them. Certainly not all friends made over the Internet are bad people. Not even close. But parental involvement when meeting strangers is something your child should not just expect, but encourage.
