Internet Safety

Students must be aware of their internet activity in order to keep themselves safe. Whenever a post is made online, a digital footprint will also remain online for a long time.  Even if the record is deleted, this information can still be retrieved because of a record reamins.   It’s important that students take precaution to avoid situations like these.  The article, Internet Safety for High School Kids Tips, recommends the following internet safety tips and responsible internet strategies.

Internet Safety Tips:

• Give your teens a code of conduct. Tell them that if they wouldn’t say something to someone’s face, they shouldn’t text it, IM it, or post it.
• Remind your teens to use social networks’ privacy settings so only their friends can see their stuff.
• Your kids should never open an email from a stranger – it may contain viruses that can harm a computer.
• Tell them not to send pictures to strangers or view pictures that strangers send to them.
• Passwords should be kept private (except to parents).
• Explain to your teen that people aren’t necessarily who they say they are in cyberspace.
• If your child plans to meet someone, it should be in a public place, with a friend.

Responsible Internet Strategies:

• There’s no such thing as “private” online. Anything posted can be seen by or forwarded to strangers, college admissions officers, and potential employers.
• Have an agreement about what’s okay to post. Teen years are full of self-expression and rebellion. Just make sure that your teens know your rules about suggestive material or other content that will reflect poorly on them. This means no embarassing or cruel posts, no hate speech or groups, no compromising pictures they wouldn’t want the whole world to see.
• Help your teen be a good digital citizen. Online cheating is still cheating. And flagging inappropriate content isn’t tattling – it’s keeping the Web a place where people want to hang out and where they can feel safe.
• The Golden Rule applies in cyberspace. If they wouldn’t do it in real life, they shouldn’t do it online.
• Agree on downloads. What music is okay? Which video sites? What games?
• Encourage critical thinking. Your teens should ask “who posted this? Why?” Thinking this way will help them find trustworthy information, and it will also help them avoid online scams that deliver spyware and viruses directly to your home. They should also think critically about their own posts. Teach them to ask, “Why am I posting this? Who will see it? Could it be misunderstood?”
• Stay in safe neighborhoods. Just as your teens learn not to walk down dark alleys alone at night, they need to know how to avoid creepy places online. And if they do venture there, remind teens that unpleasant content or talk should get trashed immediately.
• Review your own habits carefully. Parents are the ultimate role models. Keep channels of communication open.
• Better safe than sorry. Make sure teens are comfortable telling you if anything menacing or cruel happens -- no matter what site they were on.