Teaching Internet Safety Starts at a Young Age | Keep Your Children Safe #CyberSafe
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Did you know that every 1 in 3 children are a victim of cyber bullying?
There is no getting around the tech that our world has come to rely on. Kids are using cell phones, computers and even the young ones are learning how to use things like our tablets. Anything you could ever need is most often found behind a piece of technology.
Since my children were little, they have been playing with mommy’s phone, learning how to use apps, watch cartoon videos on YouTube and even learning how to Facetime with other family members. While my children are young, and there isn’t a lot of exposure to situations of Cyber Bullying, I have definitely begun to set limits and help teach him how to be safe online.
It’s national Internet Safety Month and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America are doing their part to bring awareness. It’s estimated that less than 7% of parents are concerned about Cyber Bullying. But why? When every third child is being affected by cyber bullying online, why aren’t more parents taking action to make sure that their children are safe?
With the online world expanding, The Boys & Girls Clubs of America is taking initiative to share important tools and tips to keep our children safe online. It starts young and technology is just growing more and more every day. It’s our job to instill those important skills to be prepared for even the worst situation.
Here is how I talk to my young children about Cyber Bullying:
- I talk with my children and tell them to come tell mommy or daddy if they see something online that makes them, sad, angry or uncomfortable. Even at a young age, teaching them this skill it will prepare them as teenagers if something bad happens online.
- Never give out your personal information. My oldest is learning his address and phone number, he thinks it’s great to tell everyone what he has learned! If someone asks for your personal information online, it’s important to tell mommy or daddy.
One in three parents believe their teens to be much more tech-savvy than they are. Do you feel this is the case with your children?
Check out this quiz from BGCA and test your cyber smarts!
There are great tips and information about Cyber Safety on the Boys & Girls Club of America website. Use these tools to help you start talking to your kids about being safe online, even if they are young. Take the “Cyber Survivor” quiz and see how your smarts measure up.
Cyber Safety is so important and our children won’t be prepared for the technology filled world unless we help them to be safe and smart.
Visit CyberSafeFutures.org website for more information
Those are great tips. My kids are too young yet but it’s good to plan for it
Very good information for parents.. The web is can be dangerous and it is up to parents to make sure their kids stay out of trouble
brich22 at earthlink dot net
Staying safe on the internet is a very important lesson every child should learn at an early age. Thanks for the post and the link.
I have 2 teens, a 10 and 3 year old and online safety is a big concern for me. Thank you for the great site with helpful information.
Good info and its unfortunate that is is even needing to be addressed. Kids can end up in the wrong sites online rather easy as innocent curiosity keeps moving thru the Internet. I feel it is vital to monitor their online activity either by being with them while online, using software to monitor them if they’re older, and talking with your kids about being safe online. If your kids know they can trust you and speak you, they may come to you for help before anything gets out of control.
Thank you for writing about something so important! With a 10 year old I am constantly worried about his time spent online. I thought I had covered all the bases with him but after reading this I see that there a few things I still need to discuss with him. Thank you!
Great information on keeping our kids safe. With all the people who are not who we think on the other end of the internet etc we all have to be so careful who we speak with on these devices.
This is a great post- a lot of points I had never even considered. I currently have a toddler, but I know it won’t be long until I have to worry about all the issues you listed. One thing I never thought about was personal info…. I plan on teaching my daughter her address and phone # as soon as she’s old enough, but I never realized it could be used in the wrong way if you don’t teach your kids properly! Thanks for this great info.
I think this is so important. Technology is so advanced, but we have to make sure our parenting styles catch up with it.
Thank you for this wonderful information! My daughter is starting to use the computer more frequently so this was great to read.
Thank you for sharing some very important information, I also think it is important for parents to put strict parental controls on the Internet if you are not sitting by their side constantly. Predators know the areas that are favorites of children and what you might believe to be a child-safe area, can be quite the opposite. As parents, we should carefully screen every area our children would want to visit.
think the first and best way to keep kids safe is to always keep a good line of communication with them at all times for any reason. If your kids are used to being able to talk with you about anything, you will be better able to know when something comes along that they may need help handling.
Old enough to be on the Internet is old enough to start to learn safety. Very scary out there! Kids are never left alone to surf on their own. Thanks for sharing this article.
My boys are still young, but my 5 year old does play on the computer and even has a tablet of his own. I do worry about what will come later and I try to keep smart and safe. THanks for the tips.
Wow I never thought about it effecting that many children or talking to my kids at that young of an age Thank you for the post this is more serious than I thought!
I don’t much about Cyber bullying since I don’t have kids, but it’s always good to know tips and things to do to keep safe.
Cyber bullying is a concern. It can hurt and be just as scary having someone online bully you as it would in person. So many things ot have to watch out for with our children these days.
My grandson is 6 and he loves the internet so we have many, many conversations about the internet and being safe. It’s never too early to start teaching them
This is a really important topic. I remember back in the ’90s when I ran an X-Files fan site on Geocities (LOL!), I got an email from a little kid who thought I was Gillian Anderson and said something like, “Can I have your autograph? Here’s my address” and had their personal info. I wrote back and told them I wasn’t Gillian and that they should be super careful and not give out their address and tell Mom and Dad if anyone ever asked for it. So, it’s definitely something that parents should address!
Cyber safety is so important these days and no fun to have to deal with!
cyber safety is SO important. i’m fearful of what’s to come !!