 | Teajai Kimsey
is Managing Partner and founder of Beyond Web Design, LLC. She is a graduate of Friends University. Teajai is involved with many organizations and has many personal and professional achievements. She is involved in the community by serving on the Youth Council, volunteering with the Summer B.E.A.T. Youth Program and is active in the local branch of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Teajai and her husband Paul Hendrix have 3 children. You can contact Teajai @ (316) 262-4868 or by e-mail TKimsey@BWDLLC.com |
Computers & Software
2004-02-01 15:36:00
How do I protect my child?
: With all of the porn on the web (and in my email!), how can I keep my kids safe on the internet?
Teajai Kimsey
Question: With all of the porn on the web (and in my email!), how can I keep my kids safe on the internet?Answer: In a recent Roper Starch study, 25 percent of parents said their children were coming online as early as age 2, with that number increasing to 60 percent by age 6. A 2003 report by Internet Filter Review found that the average age a child is first exposed to pornography online is 11 years old. Nearly all (90 percent) of kids aged 8-16 have viewed porn online, mostly while doing homework. With over 260 million pornography websites and numerous accounts of child predators, keeping children safe while surfing is an important and necessary part of parenting in the technology age. There are several things parents can do to protect children including software solutions. First and foremost parents should learn about the Internet, if your kids can out surf you, then you may want to gain more knowledge about the Internet. A good way to get better acquainted with the Internet, and your child, is to surf with them. Look at websites together while helping with homework. Talk about online friends and set rules like:1. Don't give out personal information like your full name or address, anything that could help a stranger track you down offline. Never send a digital photo of yourself without your parent's permission. 2. Never agree to meet someone in person without talking to your parents. This is a biggie, because this is when things can get dangerous. It's critical to make sure this one is crystal clear. Draw clear lines. 3. Never respond to bad or threatening language. Instead try to report it to your online service provider or Web site and always tell your parents or teacher immediately. In short, don't pick a fight or fight back. 4. Never go into a new online area that is going to cost additional money without first asking permission from a parent or teacher. Do not give out a credit card number online without a parent present.Another way to monitor Internet usage is to put the computer in the family room instead of in the child's bedroom. Keeping the computer in a common room will assure that surfing is kept to acceptable websites.Take advantage of the technology and look into using a filter program. While Internet filtering is not perfect, there are some excellent choices. Programs like Net Nanny and Cyber Sitter in addition to parental controls can help keep your children safe. Email is also a concern with the amount of spam related to adult topics. Parents might want to consider sharing an email account or knowing the password to your child's account so it can be easily accessed. While the Internet offers many opportunities for learning and fun, setting out the rules and being available to children while they are online goes a long way toward protecting a child from the dangers of the Internet.
