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Rules of the Road: Safety on the Information Highway
by Marc Klaas

  • Teach your kids to never give out personal information over the Internet to include—their name, address, phone number, passwords, parent’s names, name of their school or job.
  • Place your computer in an open area of your home where you can easily supervise your child’s Internet activity.
  • Establish house rules for Internet use at home and outside of the home. Remind your child that Internet use is a privilege, not a right.
  • Monitor the amount of time your child spends on the Internet.  Excessive time online, especially at night, may be your warning sign of impending danger.
  • Spend time online with your child and establish an atmosphere of trust and open communication.
  • Limit your child’s Instant Messaging (IM) to a parental approved buddy list.  Perform regular checks on your child’s buddy list.
  • Do not allow your child to participate in online chat rooms without your direct supervision.  Warning Sign-online predators use chat rooms as their playground.
  • If your child has a MYSPACE or other social networking account, do not allow personal profile information.  Parents should check the account periodically.
  • Kid’s should never plan to meet face-to-face with anyone they meet online.

REMEMBER—No software program can replace good parental skills.