 Increase Awareness  Decrease Risk

Technology is only a tool People determine it’s function and value

This is tough work – parenting is not for the weak Guarding the innocent will require all of us – technology is everywhere

 Social Networks  Pornography  Hate/Cyberbullying  Sexual Predators  Addiction  Blogging  Pod Casting  Innapropriate Sites (pro-Anorexia)  Distraction  iPod/mp3 players  cell phones (SMS, chat, photo, video)  television  plagiarism/Theft

 don’t reply to abusive messages – it only encourages the bully  keep a record of events/messages or pictures  think before you send pictures via or cell phone

 tell someone about bullying online  do not forward rude images or text about someone else treat your password like your toothbrush – don’t let anyone else use it!

 develop a relationship with your child that fosters communication and trust › don’t freak out when they tell you what they have seen or heard › share the online experience › ask as if you don’t know

 keep the computer in a place easy to monitor  set a course for technological literacy › understand how the internet works › work with your school and other care takers to compare notes › visit online tutorials › get your own myspace.com account › know the computer lingo

 focus on the purpose and value of online activity before giving permission or support  supervise when your child is online › set up a Limited User Account  provide structure and rules about being online › only after homework is complete › no more than one hour a day on average › all web sites must be parent approved before visiting › report any suspicious activity

 Set up an account that only you can log into and review all s together  Set up an outgoing only account with all incoming mail being forwarded to your accounts  Use the filtering and other safety features of online web accounts

 Use kid friendly services: › KidMail.com › SurfBuddies › ZooBuh › Kid Safe Mail › Kidchatters  Block pop-ups and pop-unders  Google your child’s userid and other similar information to get a better sense of online presence

 If you choose to give your child a cell phone, choose one that is programmable and child friendly (TicTalk, Firefly, Disney)  Have no unsupervised use of webcams  If they must social network: › No “friends of friends” on buddy list › Make account private › Do not give personal/private information › Understand the “rules of engagement”

 install extra security such as: › cybersitter › net nanny › cyberpatrol › surf control › PC Tattletale