Internet Safety for your Family #CyberSafe #Sponsored
I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Boys & Girls Clubs of America regarding internet safety. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
While I have had limited first hand experience with the Boys & Girls Club of America, I do have friends who utilize their services on a regular basis. My boys never felt comfortable attending afterschool clubs as they do not like situations where they do not know anyone else attending. However, we were blest with the ability to attend a homeschool cooperative learning group which was held at BGCA sites on the local military base. One of those semesters of learning even had a few of the BGCA employees leading physical education for the kids. You could really see that the adults working there had the kids best interests at heart and loved to provide positive learning experiences for them.
I recently visited their website to take the Cyber Survivor Challenge Quiz. With only 7 questions to answer, it didn’t take long to complete.
I was surprised on a few of the topics. I’ve insisted on being friends with the boys on Facebook, but haven’t taken the time to Google their name and see what might be ‘out there’ in cyberspace. And, I hadn’t considered how their Facebook pages are set up to maintain more privacy. As I do not want to ban all use of the internet, I need to stay vigilant and up to date on ways to help keep the boys safe.
Completing the quiz brings you to a screen where you can share about the quiz on social media for a chance to win an iPad mini and $500 gift card or be one of 100 who receive a Cyber Survivor t-shirt. How awesome is that?
Beyond the quiz, you will find lots of tips and ideas for sparking discussion with your kids on the topic of cyber bullying, cell phone usage, social networking, and online privacy. Even the well meaning child who thinks they are being safe while online could be opening themselves up to a negative experience. And, many kids may not realize how a seemingly innocent photo or comment online could damage their reputation.
It is up to the parent or guardian to ensure they learn how to be online and not suffer ill consequences. Visiting the Cyber Safe Futures website is a great way to start that process. You just might learn a few things to implement yourself for internet safety!
What steps do you take to make the internet a safer place for your family?
Have you visited the Cyber Safe Futures website already? What did YOU learn??
Control it: Limiting the time your kids spend with technology is only the first step. The Internet is a scary place, where your kids will see and learn things you probably don’t want them exposed to. They can also unintentionally expose themselves to danger by posting personal information about themselves to public sites like Facebook and Twitter. While the safest answer is to limit online time to when you are home or with your kids, sometimes that’s not realistic. Net Nanny at http://www.netnanny.com is a great resource to limit the things that your children find online, post to the internet, even install on the computer. More than a list of blocked websites, Net Nanny uses a unique filter that reviews the content of the website before displaying it. Net Nanny uses the site’s content to categorize it, and you can allow or block categories for each of your users individually. You can even set it up to capture where your kids are going online, view a log of IM chat sessions, even review their Facebook profiles so you can see their friends, wall posts, and what they are sharing with the world. You can block the installation of games based on their ESRB rating, and set limits to amount and time of day that you want to allow your kids to be on the computer.
I LOVE this article. We have teens that are very active on the Internet, and have had to talk a lot about cyber safety. My daughter even lost her Facebook account because she wasn’t listening to our rules. It’s so different than when we grew up as kids. Great resources!
I am strict when it comes to the usage of internet because I know that there are a lot of dangers in it. But I also know that it can help my kids a lot especially in the learning aspect. Thank you so much for these brilliant tips! They sure are helpful. 🙂
this is such an important topic and only gets attention when something REALLY bad happens–I hope more parents take the time to go on line with their children & explain the dangers lurking behind the screen/ keyboards. Education and awareness are our best defenses–thanks for sharing
Kathleen,
I completely agree! So many people think it won’t affect them, and yet it could. We’ve already had one cruising on sites that I would never want appearing on my screen, all out of curiosity.
My boys are too young for the internet as of yet but I love the resources and will definitely be taking precautions when the time comes! Thanks for sharing!
Chelsea,
I think it’s wise to be prepared and have a plan for when they are old enough. They grow up so fast!
These are great resources for parents. The Boys & Girls Club is arming parents with what they need!
Joyce,
I am constantly amazed at the great programs and resources they provide for the community. Sadly, not that many parents I know even realize what’s available.
You know, I totally have googled myself before, but I never thought of doing it for my kids… thanks for the post and tips… totally heading off to do it now!
Same here, Shauna. I also Google my husband’s name to see what’s out there.
Never thought to Google my kid’s, going to do that!
I don’t know if this is good or bad, but I don’t allow my 5 year old to be on the internet yet. I know it’s just a matter of time though!
I don’t let my 3 year old go online, with the exception of Netflix on the iPad. But, there are times when I wish I could just unplug the internet for the older boys on a long term basis. Sadly, we use it too much for homeschooling.