*Why should parents care about computers and the Internet? *Technology skills are crucial to childrenÌs future success *By 2000, about 60% of new jobs will require technology skills *People who use computers on the job earn 43% more than other workers

*How do kids use computers and the Internet? *Children are increasingly using new technologies in school, at the library, at home and in after-school activities *A May 1997 estimate shows nearly 10 million children online *27% of U.S. classrooms have Internet access and 78% of schools have some kind of access to the Internet *Two out of three public libraries provide computers and Internet access for public use

*Parents need to be involved *89% of parents believe computer skills are important to future success *The Internet presents new parenting challenges *Parental involvement is essential to ensure kids have a safe, rewarding and educational online experience *Parents help children assess the value and importance of information they find

*A shared responsibility *Ensuring a positive and safe online experience is a shared responsibility *Parents, teachers, librarians and others need to make sure kids have access to and are guided safely through the Internet *Companies in the online industry like those supporting America Links Up are helping kids have a good experience online

*The Basics *America Links Up is a public awareness and education campaign that provides adults and children with the information and tools to help ensure a safe, rewarding and educational experience online *America Links Up is supported by a diverse coalition of non-profits, education groups, government agencies and corporations

*What is the Internet? *A large computer network linking together millions of small computer networks all over the world *You can be part of it!

*What makes the Internet unique? *It's interactive, meaning that unlike TV, the broadcast is two-way *Anyone can 'publish' on the Internet *For the first time, the vast majority of the world's knowledge is accessible to anyone *Millions of people can share and take part in online communities

*What can you do on the Internet? *Find information by using search engines *Publish information on your own web site *Send messages by e- mail *Join a club through a newsgroup *Find someone in an online phone book *Have a conversation in a 'chat' room *Make airline reservations, invest in the stock market *Get directions and draw maps *Go shopping and more!

*What does the Internet offer children? *Communication via and chat rooms *The world's resources are available to supplement their learning *Access to other cultures *New analytical and infomation processing skills to build lifelong learning skills

*Examples *Homework helpers *Information about subjects and activities they are interested in *Maps and weather *Entertainment (games, clubs, etc.)

*What do you need to start? *A computer *A modem *A phone line *An account with an online service or an Internet service provider

*What is a web site? *A collection of information on the Internet *It is made up of pages, words, images, sounds and/or video *Each is assigned a 'URL' or address so you can find it on the web *A good site has a clear purpose with contact information clearly identified. The information should be well- organized and updated regularly

*Web site addresses

*Browsers and search engines *A browser is a software program that lets you read web sites *Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Explorer are examples *A search engine is a program that helps you find information *Alta Vista, Lycos, Yahoo and Infoseek are examples

*How does work? *You enter a recipient's address in the 'To' space in your mail program, type your message and hit send *Your message then travels across the Internet to the recipient's electronic mailbox *The message is stored by the recipient's Internet service provider until the recipient logs on to the Internet *When receiving messages, you can send copies to others by forwarding

*What are newsgroups? *A conversation that takes place on a bulletin-board-like space *You can post messages seeking advice, comments or information *Someone will reply to your message later in a public form *You can 'talk' with others about a specific topic like health, education or recreation *Some have explicit material not suitable for children

*What are chat rooms? *Chat rooms are 'live' conversations online *Conversation usually centers around a common interest *Some are monitored, some are not

*Ensuring a Safe, Educational and Rewarding Trip

*Is the Internet safe? *Like the road, the Internet has some risks, but there are ways to protect kids online *When children are small, you teach them to hold your hand when crossing the street. But as they grow, you slowly give them more freedom until they end up driving by themselves *Like all endeavors your kids will undertake, common sense says you should be aware and stay involved

*What are the risks on the Internet? *Content: Children may see material that is inappropriate or even illegal *Contact: People on the Internet may not be who they say they are and predators use the Internet to find victims

*Examples *Finding bondage material when searching for James Bond *Getting advertising adult sites *Making inappropriate friendships and sometimes dangerous contact with strangers in chat rooms *Downloading viruses, giving out personal information

*The Internet is a public place *It allows kids to communicate with friends they know and people they don't *Parents need to make sure their children's privacy is protected and teach kids why privacy is important *One way to protect privacy is to not give out personal information like phone numbers, addresses or credit card numbers, especially in chat rooms and newsgroups *Parents should check websites their children visit for privacy policies

*Safer Surfing: Kids Online Tips for Parents *Take the trip together. Take the time to see what your kids are doing online and what their interests are *Teach kids to never give out their name, school, address, phone number, picture or other personal information to people they meet online, especially in public places like chat rooms and bulletin boards.

*Kids Online Tips for Parents cont'd *Instruct your child to never plan face- to-face meetings alone with online acquaintances *Tell your child not to respond and to let you know if they receive offensive or dangerous , chat or other communications

*Kids Online Tips for Parents cont'd *Establish clear ground rules for Internet use with your kids. Decide whether or not to use parental control tools or protective software *Put the computer in the family room or other open area of the home. Or use the computer together at a library, school or community center

*Tips for Kids Online *I won't give out my name, age, school, address, phone number, picture or any other information about myself or my family without getting permission *If I see or get something online that looks weird or bad or makes me feel uncomfortable, I won't respond, I'll leave that area right away and tell my parents

*Tips for Kids Online cont'd *I won't get together with anyone I meet online without getting my parent's permission first. *I won't open or accept s, files, links, URLs or other things online from people I donÌt really know or trust *I won't give out my password to anyone but my parents, not even to my best friend

*Resources available ( ) *Parental tools (safety guides, good sites, Internet information) *Browsers and filters *Great sites for kids