Since most preschoolers can’t read or write yet, they sit at the computer with their parents, so why should we talk about internet safety at this age? 

When kids are young, they soak up everything you have to say. It’s much harder to start the conversation when they’re 14 and they know it all! Think of this in terms of one more safety lesson to give our kids. We teach them to look both ways when they cross the street and how to behave in a restaurant. Internet safety is just more information that we need to share. When you’re teaching your children how to use the computer, you can also talk about safety. 

My kids are 18, 13 and 6, and we started sitting at the computer together when they were still on my lap. I like to tell people that this is the time to start the conversation about safety, even though you are only going to safe, family-friendly sites together like SproutOnline.com. 

There are kid friendly search engines that you can use. 

Kidzui is great for little ones and parents. It opens in the entire window so you can’t accidentally get to the desktop and open something there. Parents can create an avatar for their preschoolers and they can do very limited searches together. Only kid appropriate material is available here.  Yahooligans is another great option from Yahoo.

 

Pop-ups are annoying and sometimes inappropriate for young children.  Is there a way to get rid of them?

Make sure that you have up-to-date software. I recommend as comprehensive an anti-virus package that you can afford. The set up feature walks you through the steps and is fairly easy to install.  In addition to what you purchase, go to your browser tools and internet options to disable pop-ups. You can add what the browser offers without affecting your anti-virus product. 

Also, check with your internet provider. They may provide security software as part of your service. For instance Comcast High Speed Internet customers get the McAfee Security Suite for no additional charge.

 

What about Phishing Sites, where criminals lure you to sites that look like legitimate businesses but are really going after information? Should I be worried? 

Definitely. I just had my twitter account phished! I clicked on a tinyURL from a friend of mine, which brought me to a twitter page that asked me to log in. I didn’t think anything about it and entered my password. And they were able to send spam from my account just like that!

The criminals are looking to get your log in and password information. A lot of people use the same password over and over again. A while ago I created a new email account and didn’t realize that it was the same password as PayPal. Someone got my email password and transferred $1000 out of my bank account. It was a complete mistake and I got the money back, but I learned my lesson.  Now I have different passwords for every financial site, my email is completely separate, and I have a throw away password I use, too.

 

How do you keep track of all those passwords?  

I always say make it easy to remember but hard to guess. So basically I started using text speak--numbers and symbols in the place of letters.  Make it an easy word and combination of numbers mixed in. Pa$$w0rd is an example. Or try and think of clever ways to spell out words.  Just remember them! But don’t write them on sticky notes and post them on your screen.

I write them down and keep the list on a page in my day planner.  But I know that can be stolen so I encrypt the list myself. I write enough of the password so I know what it is, but not enough for anyone else to figure it out.

 

Let’s switch gears and talk about personal information. Is there a reason to keep it private?

People post a lot of information on social networking sites. What they might not realize is that there are privacy settings. It’s a good idea to change from the default settings, which allow everyone to see the page you create. Only allow friends to see your information. I just recently had a friend post a picture of me in high school, which was fine, but her setting was for friends of friends to see and so my husband’s coworkers, my coworkers all saw it. I had to ask her to change the settings.

That’s embarrassing. But there are some dangerous scenarios as well. Photos posted might give away your location, or your kids’ location. Check periodically to make sure that your settings set to private. About a year ago Facebook upgraded and set everything to default and I had to go back in and refresh all my security settings. Occasionally this happens.

I also strongly suggest that you search your name and your family’s name in quotes. Using quotes will pull up exactly your name up instead of a paragraph that has your first name in one sentence and your last name in another.  See what information is out there about you and your family. 

 

Is there any harm in posting family vacation pictures? 

Not necessarily. It’s not dangerous for anyone to know that your family was on vacation. When I post pictures in my town, I’m more careful that we can’t be located by the house number on our porch. Just make sure that the setting is set to private. And if you are on a photo-sharing website, make sure your pictures can’t be downloaded by someone else. 

If you post pictures on your blog, I’d suggest putting a watermark across them so no one else can steal the image and post it elsewhere. Believe it or not, there have been stories of photos being stolen and used for advertising around the country; or posted ads on craigslist for adoption. People are odd so use some caution.

 

What about using my child’s name online?

That is a personal choice. I don’t use my kids’ names, but many people do. That’s fine. It’s a personal choice to deduce your own risk.

 

This has been really helpful information. Any last words to share with us parents?

Just start talking! Keep your children safe, keep them next to you, watch what they’re doing and what they click on and be prepared. As things happen--and they will!-- calmly deal with it. “Oops! those sites aren’t right for you to look at,” you could say when you open a page that is not appropriate. And be open to discuss what they need to talk about.

Did you find this information helpful? What do you do to keep your kids safe online?

 

 

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