Resources:Child Safety Tips
Pau Spam Top Ten Child Internet Safety Tips for Parents
In partnership with the US District Attorneys Office of Hawaii and Project Safe Childhood
The Pau Spam Top Ten Child Internet Safety Tips for Parents:
1) Develop rules for your children's internet use before they go online. Rules should include what websites they can visit, who they can talk to online, and where they can use a computer.
2) Keep the computer in a common area of your home like the living room. Do not leave the computer in the privacy of your child's room.
3) Disable Internet access on your keiki's cell phone. Most popular instant messenger programs (AIM, Yahoo! Messenger, GoogleTalk) and social networking websites (myspace.com, facebook.com) have cell phone accessibility. There's no point placing the computer in the living room when your child can get online with their cell phone in their room.
4) Pay attention to warning signs that your keiki may be in danger. Do they change screens or minimize windows when you enter the room? Are they suddenly spending much more time online and getting phone calls from people you don't know?
5) Periodically review your child's Internet activity. Find out what websites they go to by checking the History folder of your Internet browser. Check the chat records of their instant messenger programs. If they are on MySpace, create an account for yourself and make sure you are added to their friend's list.
6) Explain to your keiki they need to be careful about what they allow to be posted on their blog or anywhere on the Internet. Online predators can find out a lot about your child by reading posts by friends in the comment sections of various blogs.
7) Communicate with the parents of your child's friends. Many kids use computers at their friend's house and not all parents pay enough attention to Internet safety.
8) Consider using filtering software to protect and control what websites your child can visit online. "Net Nanny" and "Cyber Patrol" are currently popular programs.
9) Keep up with the Internet. You should know terms like instant messaging, blogging, social networking, and other Internet slang words. The more you know, the better you can talk to your keiki about Internet safety.
10) Lastly, do not hesitate to contact authorities if you suspect there is a problem. There are harsh penalties for online predators who jeopardize your child's safety. Below are some useful links:
* US District Attorney of Hawaii: 541-2850, [website]
* Honolulu Police Department: 529-3115, [website]
* FBI Honolulu: 566-4300, [website]