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internet safety

What can you as parents do about school safety and cyber safety?

• Reinforce the school problem solving method and discipline policy as in the student handbook
• Become involved in the school health committees (Comprehensive School Health, Whole School Mental Health)
• Check to see if your children have a web site and what the content is
• Reinforce safety in walking to and from school

Please see the Internet safety links to websites to help initiate and guide your talks with your children around web awareness and safety on the Internet.

Thank you for taking the time to discuss this matter with your children. Together we can make a difference.

General tips for parents (from Government of Alberta News Release June 13, 2006)

• Place computers in a high-traffic area so that you can monitor your child's Internet use.
• Teach children how to get out of websites quickly and discuss things they see or read that make them feel uncomfortable.
• Get to know your child's online friends, not just their offline friends.
• Remind your kids to behave online as they would in public. Explain to them they should never write anything in an e-mail that they would not want the world to read.
• Set up rules agreeing upon what time of day, how long, and what areas your child can access online. Signing an Internet family safety contract outlining your household's Internet rules can be helpful.
• Maintain open lines of communication with your child regarding their Internet use. Ask them where they go and what they do online and get them to show you.
• Get to know chat room and web related slang. Ask your child to explain it to you.
• Remind your children that everything they read online may not be true. An offer that seems "too good to be true" likely is.
• Pay attention to your child's behaviour: Are they quickly closing the computer screen when you pass by? Are they giving up their nights and weekends to be on the computer? Are they becoming introverted and not wanting to spend time with friends and family? Are they getting phone calls from people you don't know?
• Set an example for your children by following the rules you set out for them. Be careful of what personal information you give out and what files you download.

Child personal safety and online games

• Know what games your children are playing online. Is the game moderated?
• Explore the game to determine if it is age appropriate for your child. Does it contain sexually explicit material? Is the game graphically violent?
• Review the game guidelines. Can you report inappropriate activity?
• Know your child's login and password information. What username or character name has your child given him/herself? Does it provide identifying characteristics about him/her or his/her hobbies (shygirl; bookworm, etc.)?
• Check to see if the child must create an online profile to join the site. If he/she does, what has your child included in it (real name, city, e-mail address, age)?
• Does the game provide more options for older players? Has your child misrepresented his/her age to get more options?
• Is there an interactive chat component in the game? Is this an optional feature that can be turned off?
• Does the game have a message board where players can post comments? Is this an optional function?
• Can players e-mail each other back and forth?
• Can players send each other attachments, for example pictures?
• Does the game have a friend or buddy list? Who is on your child's buddy list?
• If there is a way for your child to contact other players? Do the players first need to get your child's permission or can they simply begin chatting?
• Set the expectation that you will monitor him/her online as it is a public environment.
• Reinforce the idea that not everyone is who they say they are online. People can pretend to be older or younger than they actually are.
• Just as you would explain codes of conduct for offline games, the same should be done for games online.
• Only chat with players and include people on a buddy or friend list that he/she knows offline.
• Keep personal information, including photos, off an online gaming profile.
• If someone he/she doesn't know sends him/her an attachment, DO NOT OPEN IT.
• If your child comes across something or someone in the game that makes him/her feel uncomfortable, explain that he/she can tell you without fear of losing gaming privileges.

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