Kids Internet Safety
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| Cinergy
Communications is one of the largest providers of Internet services in
this region. We feel that with this privilege comes the responsibility of
getting the word out about Internet safety. Here are a few things kids
(and adults) should know: |
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Kids 4-7
Teach children this rhyme:
"Internet strangers should not know, who I am and where I go."
When learning to ride a bicycle, children need to learn the basic rules of
riding before anything else. These are rules like, "Always wear your
helmet," and "Always watch where you are going." It may be years before
your children take their bikes out of the driveway and onto the road.
That's why you save the rules of the road for later. You start them with
training wheels to keep them upright and only let them ride without them
when they are ready. The rhyme above is not designed to teach children
everything they need to know about Internet safety. It is a fun and basic
way to remind your children that when they are online, they need to be
careful about what they do. |
SAFETY PAINT BOOK! |
Kids 8-11
It is important to understand that the Internet
can provide different methods of communicating thoughts, ideas, and
information. The common phrase "surfing the Internet" refers to the simple
act of visiting and exploring different Internet sites and viewing
information that others have made public. However, more direct two-way
commuication is available over the Internet. People can "talk" directly
with others by sending and receiving private messages. They can also share
documents or files. Parents need to understand how the Internet functions
as a communication tool in order to protect themselves and their
family. |
| Children in this age group can surf online as
long as content filtering software is used to prevent children from seeing
sites they should not see. Content filtering is a type of software that
blocks out web sites containing objectionable material such as pornography
or gambling, or sites that contain drug related content or other
undesirable content. Parents should use software that filters sites based
on what real people have found when they visit them and NOT just by the
words that are in the web site name. Be aware that some kids in this age
group know they can get around filtering software, so watch them closely.
Additionally, kids can bypass filtering software by sending files in
emails (called an email attachment). This provides another way for bad
information to be sent around the Internet, so monitor all emails
carefully. |
SAFETY CERTIFICATE |
| Instant messaging (IM) is another common way
kids communicate online. Watch out for are incoming "anonymous" messages
or website links; these are often pornographic. Many IM programs allow you
to turn your online status to "off" which reduces the possiblilty of
receiving such messages (others cannot see if you are online or
offline). |
Kids 11+
Kids in this group are perhaps at the highest
risk of encountering Internet strangers due to their growing independence
as teens and young adults. It is imperative that kids in this group know
they must not give out personal information, including not only what is
obvious, but also information about where they live, go to school, names
of pets, etc. Any of these pieces of information can be used to help
someone find them. Kids this age need to understand that anything they
type can be copied. Prank or offensive emails can easily be traced back to
the source. Kids this age need to know they should never meet anyone from
the Internet without parental permission. Setting up meetings, phone
calls, even sending or trading pictures can be very dangerous. |
SAFETY RULES |
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