Cyber-Safety

How to keep your kids safe online

Some Statistics

61% of 13-to 17-year kids have a personal profile on a social networking site

71% reported receiving messages online from someone they don’t know

45% have been asked for personal information by someone they don’t know

14% have actually met a person face to face from the internet

Only 18% would tell an adult

Some more Statistics

20% of teens report that is it safe to share personal information on a Facebook or MySpace

48% of 16-17’s reported that their parents know “very little” or “nothing” about what they do on the internet.

22% of those surveyed reported their parents or guardians have never discussed Internet safety with them.

Helpful Definitions

Public Chat Rooms – created and maintained by a company. A number of customers can be in the public chat rooms at any time and cover a broad range of topics.

Chat – real time text conversation between users in a chat room with no expectation of privacy.

Instant Messages – private, real time text conversations between two users in a chat room

What are signs that your child might be at risk on-line? Your child spends large amounts of time on-

line, especially at night. Your child receives phone calls from people

you don’t know or is making calls to phone numbers you don’t recognize.

Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor when you come into the room.

Your child becomes withdrawn from the family.

Real Life Stories

Julie’s Story

What can I do?

Talk to your kids All the normal advice about using common

sense to stay safe applies exactly the same in cyberspace. Don’t talk or accept anything from strangers. I need to meet your friends. Come straight home. Don’t say mean things about other people. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Be polite and respectful of others Don’t tell people personal things about

yourself.

Online Safety Tips for Parents

Keep your child’s computer in an open area of the house.

Use anti-virus software and update it regularly.

Never share or give out passwords. Visit the Web sites your child visits. Read a Web site’s privacy policy before

giving out any private or personal information. Never meet in person with someone you first

met online.

Online Safety Tips for Parents

Tell your child not to open attachments from unknown sources or respond to pop-ups on your computer.

There is no such thing as “private” online. Have an agreement about what’s okay to

post. Agree on downloads. Music. Video. Games. Encourage critical thinking. View your own habits carefully. You are the

ultimate roll model.

Most important:

Keep channels of communication

open

Contact information

National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline – 1.800.843.5678

U.S. Customs 24hr hotline, and it will route your complaint to the right law enforcement agency – 1.800.232.5378