Keep Your Kids Safe On Social Networking Sites

Whether it's MySpace, Facebook, Bebo, or Friendster keeping your kids safe when they are online is an important part of parenting. If everyone follows these rules, using SNS can be a safe, fun, educational experience. Extra caution might need to be exercised for younger kids. Additionally, parents need to do their own research as well.

Instructions

Step 1
TRUST Tell your kids to trust their instincts, if something doesn’t seem right, it probably isn’t. Tell them you are trusting them to talk to you if they feel uncomfortable or threatened by online.

Step 2
ASK FOR ACCESS Ask your kids for access to their profiles and blogs. Get their consent to let you review them from time to time-including their private areas. Then, encourage your kids to follow these basic rules.

Step 3
KEEP PERSONAL IDENITY OFFLINE Don't post too much information that could identify you or your location, including your last name, your school, where you live, where you spend time, your phone number or email address. Use your site's privacy features to limit personal posts to people you know and trust. Don't add people to your trusted list unless you know exactly who they are. Remove "friends" who post mean or untrue comments, or information that compromises your security.

Step 4
NEVER MEET IN PERSON Make sure your kids know that they are never to meet anyone they met online in real-life unless you are there when they meet.

Step 5
DON'T GIVE CLUES Don't post suggestive pictures or images that might give strangers clues about your identity or location. Make sure your kids understand what these clues are anything that might tell someone how to find them, such as pictures of their school uniforms, well-known landmarks, school sporting events, etc.

Step 6
GRANDMA SEES YOUR PROFILE Make kids aware that ANYTHING they post online may someday be seen by someone they did not intend. Inappropriate pictures may affect how relatives, future employers, and even college admissions counsellors perceive them.

Step7

MONITOR COMMENTS Tell your teens to monitor their friends’ blogs for compromising information or inappropriate pictures of them. Ask friends to delete anything you don't want people to see.

Step8

NEVER LIE ABOUT YOUR AGE Kids should never lie about their age, acting older can put one in dangerous situations. If you don't meet the age requirement, look for sites like Live Journal™, which offer lower age requirements and a safer environment.

Step9

DON'T GIVE OUR $$$ Never provide financial information online without first checking with parents, even on websites that appear to be legitimate. They may be fake or "phishing" Web sites that exist only to steal your information.

Step10

REVIEW THE FRIEND LIST Go through your child’s list and make sure they know everyone offline.

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