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NASP = Home=20 > Publications/S= tore=20 > NASP=20 Communique > CQ=20 Indexes > NASP=20 CQ 34-2 - Index > NASP CQ 34-2 - = Internet=20 Safety =

Keeping Children Safe on the Internet: Guidelines = for=20 Parents

By Stefan C. Dombrowski & Karen L. Gischlar,=20
Rider University

More than 30 million children in the United States use the = Internet on=20 a regular basis (Online Risks for Youth, n.d.) and often = they are=20 better at using the Internet than are their parents and teachers = (Child=20 Safety Online, n.d.). However, the Internet can be very=20 dangerous. While access to the Internet can provide children = with=20 important learning experiences, it also exposes them to risks not=20 encountered in the =E2=80=9Creal world.=E2=80=9D Sexual = predators can easily use it=20 to locate children to sexually molest. In fact, the results = of a=20 recent national survey indicated that one in five youth is = sexually=20 solicited over the Internet annually (Finkelhor, Mitchell, & = Wolak,=20 2000).

This is very disturbing given the fact that sexual abuse is = very=20 harmful to children=E2=80=99s development. Children who are = sexually=20 victimized often experience high levels of anxiety, depression, = substance=20 abuse, eating disorders, relationship problems, and suicidal = ideation.=20 Because sexual abuse is so harmful, laws have been established to = protect=20 children from sexual predators. However, the Internet makes = it=20 difficult to protect children because it provides access to large = numbers=20 of children and allows the sexual predator to remain anonymous=20 (Dombrowski, LeMasney, Ahia, & Dickson, 2004).

For example, a pedophile would have difficulty entering a = schoolyard=20 disguised as a child, but could easily pretend to be a child in an = online=20 chat room. Strangers also can access children online through = e-mail and=20 instant messaging. Moreover, technology (e.g., sniffers, = Trojan and=20 worm programs) is currently available that enables sexual = predators to=20 invade home computers and gather personal information about an=20 unsuspecting youth (see Dombrowski & Gischlar, 2005 for a more = detailed discussion of this technology).

Strategies for Internet Safety

Given the potential dangers of children=E2=80=99s Internet = usage, the following=20 suggestions for addressing Internet safety in the home are offered = for=20 parents.

Establish a parent-child Internet use contract (see attached = contract).
Explain to older children and adolescents the potential = hazards of=20 online sexual solicitation and the risks associated with = Internet=20 communication with strangers. Younger children may not = need as=20 detailed a discussion, but should be cautioned about the dangers = of=20 talking to people they do not know.
Discuss the dangers of face-to-face contact with someone met = online
Teach your child to avoid sending personally identifying = information=20 (e.g., real name, address, school, telephone number, photos, = family=20 member names) via the Internet.
Install a firewall (e.g., Norton Personal Firewall), privacy = filtration software (e.g., Net Nanny5), = anti-adware/spyware=20 (e.g., Ad-Aware), and an antivirus program (e.g., Norton=20 antivirus).
Encrypt your wireless home network.
Discourage your child from downloading games and other media = which=20 could contain Trojan and worm programs that enable remote access = to=20 computers by unauthorized users.
Supervise/monitor Internet friends in a fashion similar to = how=20 neighborhood and school friends are monitored.
Monitor the amount of time your child spends online and = frequently=20 check the computer=E2=80=99s Web browsers, which provide = information on the=20 websites that have been accessed.
Set the Internet browser (e.g., Internet Explorer) security = feature=20 to =E2=80=9Chigh.=E2=80=9D
Understand and approve children=E2=80=99s screen = names=E2=80=94predators target=20 sexually suggestive screen names.
Place computer in a public location such as a den as opposed = to a=20 child=E2=80=99s bedroom.
Contact the Cyber Tip Line at (800)-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com/=20 if you suspect an online predator has contacted your child.=20

Because there is great potential for sexual predators to = solicit youth=20 via the Internet, there is a need for greater awareness regarding = how to=20 protect our children from this crime. This can be achieved through = increased education about the potential risks of Internet use and = by=20 emphasizing the need to monitor children=E2=80=99s online = activities.

Parent=E2=80=93Child Contract for Internet Safety

I, ________________, have read this contract with my = mother/father=20 ________________ and I understand the rules of Internet use in my = home. I=20 also understand that these same rules apply whenever I access the = Internet=20 outside of my home, such as at school, the library, or a = friend=E2=80=99s house. I=20 will keep this contract clearly posted by my computer. If I should = run=20 into any problems while surfing the Internet or while in a chat = room, I=20 will contact my parents and abide by the rules listed in this=20 contract.

Child=E2=80=99s = Responsibilities:

I will never give out my home telephone number or address = over the=20 Internet.

I will not give out any information about my family, such as = where=20 my parents work and the names of my brothers or sisters.

I will not use my real name in chat rooms and will always = use a=20 =E2=80=9Cnickname.=E2=80=9D

I will not tell a stranger on the Internet where I go to=20 school.

I will never meet someone I have talked to on the Internet = unless my=20 parents approve and come with me to the meeting.

I will never send pictures of my family or me over the = Internet=20 without my parents=E2=80=99 permission.

I will not open email or download files from strangers.

I will not talk to anyone over the Internet who makes me = feel=20 uncomfortable; I will tell my parents right away when this = happens.

I will tell my parents if anyone is threatening me or using = bad=20 language.

I will always keep in mind while talking to people on the = Internet=20 that they are strangers and some strangers can be bad.

I will obey my parents=E2=80=99 rules about being on the = Internet, including=20 obtaining their permission to sign on and download = material.

I will abide by these rules whenever I use the Internet, = even if I=20 am not at home.

Parents=E2=80=99 Responsibilities:

I _______________________ will supervise my child while he = or she is=20 on the Internet to ensure they are using this tool responsibly = and not=20 endangering themselves by communicating inappropriately with = strangers=20 they may meet over the Internet.

I will not use this contract as a way to control every = action taken=20 by my child on the Internet.

I will respect my child=E2=80=99s need for a degree of = privacy while=20 speaking to friends on the Internet.

I will spend time with my child and learn about what = interests him=20 or her on the Internet.

I will be aware of the procedure for contacting my online = provider=20 for advice should someone appear to be bothering my child. I = will also=20 contact the Cyber Tip Line at (800)-843-5678 or=20 www.cybertipline.com if I suspect someone has been = soliciting my=20 child for sex or sending pornographic material to my child.

I will teach my child to use judgment while online and I = will ensure=20 that my child is educated about the hazards of Internet use and = how to=20 safely use the Internet.

Parent=E2=80=99s Signature=20 ____________________________________
Date__________

Child's Signature=20 ____________________________________
Date ___________

Resources

Finkelhor, D., Mitchell, K. J., & Wolak, J. (2000). = Online=20 victimization: A report on the nation=E2=80=99s youth. = Alexandria,=20 VA: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, (2000). = Use=20 of computers in the sexual exploitation of children.=20 Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

Online risks for youth. (n.d.). Retrieved May 8, 2004, = from=20 http://www.ne= tsmartz.org/parents/home/rskinfo.htmlparents/ho= me/rskinfo.html

Adapted and modified from Dombrowski, S. C., LeMasney, J. = W., Ahia,=20 C. E., & Dickson, S. A. (2004). Protecting children from = online sexual=20 predators: Technological, psychoeducational, and legal = considerations.=20 Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 35,=20 65-73.Copyright =C2=A9 2004 by the American = Psychological=20 Association. Adapted with permission.

=

Keeping Children Safe on the Internet: Guidelines = for=20 Parents

By Stefan C. Dombrowski & Karen L. Gischlar,=20 Rider University

Strategies for Internet Safety

Parent=E2=80=93Child Contract for Internet Safety

Resources

By Stefan C. Dombrowski & Karen L. Gischlar,=20
Rider University