Online Safety

Internet safety is a concern for parents and kids. There are many informative sites about this topic online. One of the best sites out there is http://wiredsafety.org/

WiredSafety provides help, information and education to Internet and mobile device users of all ages. They help victims of cyberabuse ranging from online fraud, cyberstalking and child safety, to hacking and malicious code attacks. They also help parents with issues, such as MySpace and cyberbullying.

The following information on Online Safety was from their sister site Teenangels. In addition to Teenangels they also operate WiredKids, CyberLawEnforcement, StopCyberbullying, and Internet Super Heroes, as well as WiredSafety.org

Online Safety Tips For Kids From Kids...
(in their own [uncensored] words)

1. Always ask your parents before you use the Internet.

2. Never give out your information or your name, address, phone number, school, or parent's name.

3. Don't lie about your age so you can go to a site on the Internet.

4. Don't buy anything without your parent's permission or if they are not there.

5. Never use bad language or you could get kicked off the Inter-net & never be able to go on again.

6. Don't ever open or answer any e-mail from people you don't know.

7. Never send a picture on the Internet to anyone you don't know.

8. Never ask to meet a person in real life you met on the Internet.

9. If somebody says he is a manager of 'N Sync & you get free tickets & signed stuff & asked you if you wanted it say "no" because it could be a lie or maybe he could be a scum bag.

10. If someone says there is a sale at the GAP & they need your address & phone number always say no.

11. Be careful of bad people on the Internet or you definitely will get hurt.

12. If someone is disobeying the rules, ignore them!

13. Never believe anyone if they tell you how old they are. Even if you think you can ask them questions only a kid would know the answers to, it doesn't prove they're really a kid.

14. Tell your parents if anything goes wrong.

Maggie's Advice

Maggie also wanted parents to know how she feels about them snooping into kids' e-mail & invading their privacy.

1. If you have your child's password, don't snoop around in their e-mail.

2. If you want to check their e-mail go through it with them.

She also wrote a letter on behalf of all kids to their parents that she wanted to share.

Dear Mom & Dad: I know all of the rules for safety online. I know that there are people out there who might want to hurt me. But don't worry, they won't catch me off-guard. Safety is important but I don't feel comfortable with you reading my mail unless you tell me first. I also want you to know that I know a lot of the rules for online safety. Here are some of the ones I would tell a friend that has never been online before: Don't talk to strangers. Don't download anything without your parents permission, it might have a virus. Hopefully you can trust me now.

Love, Your Son/Daughter

Click here to play Playing It Safe, an online safety game for sleuths and problem-solvers.