Internet Safety and Kids Ms. Lee’s Classroom

Computers are NOT bad Computers can be used to help kids learn and play. They can be used safely, if parents are actively monitoring their child’s computer usage. Computers can help to gain a child’s interest in what they are learning.

Computers in the Home: Creating a comfortable spot, where the computer can be brought! Have an open door policy: - If the computer is in the child’s room or in a secluded area. -Have a policy in place where the door to the room is to be kept open, so that a parent can monitor their child’s activity online at any time. Spend time surfing the internet with you kids, so you know where they are going on the internet - Talk to them about the risks of surfing the internet and what they can do to avoid risky situations Have good security/ parental control tools installed on the computer - Good security and parental control tools will help to monitor your child’s activity online when you are not there -Be sure to keep these tools up to date by updating them often Making the Area/ Space comfortable for child -Have a comfortable chair with pillows and support for the child at the computer area. -Place the computer chair at a good height where the person on the computer eye’s level is in the center of the computer -For a smaller child, find a small mouse -For a older child, find a larger mouse -Keep rules about the computer usage placed around the computer area

Questions to Ask: What you want to know before your kids go solo! Where do you go on the internet and can you show me? How much time do you spend on the internet? Do you have to register to play on this website? What information do you have to give this website to play on it? What information does this website ask for? What is the content of this website? Who are you in contact with on this website? What can you see or share on this website? How much does this website cost to use? How do you talk to other people on this website? How do other people talk to you on this website? These questions can be a great way to start a discussion with you kids about internet safety!

Starting a Discussion with your Kids: Learning Internet Safety, Protects your kids Greatly! Remind your kids to think before they click! Remind them that the people they meet online are NOT friends. Tell them to NEVER meet someone they meet online in real life. Talk about what websites they CAN and CAN NOT go to. Talk about Cyber Bulling Answer any questions they may have. Remind them that when they are in doubt about doing something, that they should NOT do it or ask an adult first! If they receive a mean or hurtful message from someone tell them to. – Stop: Do not make anymore contact with the person sending the messages. – Block: Block the person from being able to message you further – Tell: Tell a trusted adult about the message

Set Up Basic Rules about Computers: Knowing what you can and can not do, will keep you safe too! Good Basic Rules: 1.NEVER share account numbers or passwords to friends or strangers on the internet. 2.Do NOT reveal any personal information when creating a screen name. Personal information like birthday, hobby, hometown, or school. 3.Any time that you exchange information like through an or a chat, do not give out personal information about yourself or someone else 4.Do NOT share any photos of yourself, family, or home with someone you meet online. 5.NEVER open s from an unknown source- DELETE them instead. 6.If you receive mean or threatening comments online: Do NOT respond, but log out and tell a trusted adult about them. 7.NEVER make plans to meet an online friend in person. 8.When in doubt if something is safe or not; ASK A PARENT. 9.If you are not sure about a site, do NOT go to it, but log off. 10.Ask your parents FRIST before you charge something to a credit card or a debit card.

The Internet Contract: I know the good and bad experiences a computer can bring, so to keep me safe, I agree to do these things! Contracts can be signed by kids and parents. These contracts list basic rules that kids should obey on the internet. Kids will also sign one of these for the classroom. Three of these pledges or contracts can be found at our classroom website: ( Look under the school tools section beside the safety power point)

Cyber Bulling: When people are mean, telling a parent is the right thing Cyber bulling is when another person uses technology to harass, embarrass, or humiliate a particular person. 85% of kids, ages 10 or younger have been cyber bullied at least once. Bullies can hurt their victim through the computer. Being bullied always hurts, whether it is on the computer or not. Many times they do not tell their parents because they are afraid they will get in trouble. Kids should stop contact with the person who is cyber bulling them. Parents should contact authorities if the problem persists. Parents and Kids should save all messages that include the time and date of when the harmful messages were sent.

The Gamer Kid: I play online in my free time! Parents should investigate the games that they buy their children. They should research game ratings. These ratings can be found at the website They should know the features the games their kids play has. Does the game have voice masking or chat? They should keep the gaming consoles in an easy to observe location and be aware of other places where their kids can access the internet. The should tell their kids to never give out any personal information to someone while gaming. They should tell their kids never to meet someone online outside of the game. They should set rules for play like when their kids can play, for how long, and what games they can play. They should have their children ask them every time before they charge something on a debit or credit card

A Brighter and Safer Future for kids! Together we can help kids to be safer inside and outside of the classroom!

Works Cited