Computer Safety Tips for Children

There are many computer safety tips for children directed toward parents, teachers and other adults. However, children from a young age need to learn basic Internet safety and general issues about children and computers. As children age, they should learn the latest computer guidelines regarding safe searching, Internet etiquette and what to do when they find something questionable or potentially dangerous online.

There are many computer safety tips for children directed toward parents, teachers and other adults. However, children from a young age need to learn basic Internet safety and general issues about children and computers. As children age, they should learn the latest computer guidelines regarding safe searching, Internet etiquette and what to do when they find something questionable or potentially dangerous online.

Primary Safety Tips

Establish computer use rules in your household. General rules may have to do with how to handle the computer and time allotments for usage. Familiarize children with the Internet safety pledge, a simple contract they sign that has them promise to report troubling or frightening content to trusted adults and to ask a trusted adult before sharing personal information. Older children must also pledge not to plan in-person meetings with Internet contacts and to act politely when participating in online forums or online correspondence. Adults can print out computer safety rules and the pledge, have children sign both and post them near the computer station.

Asking Permission

Rather than leave tough decision-making up to children, require that they ask permission before doing certain things online. In general, parents and educators ask children to request permission from a trusted adult before registering for anything online, before entering contests, before chatting in unmonitored chat rooms and before downloading files. If children have their own email accounts, you might also require that they ask permission before clicking on any links or responding to an email from someone other than their close friends and family.

Don't Believe What You Read

One of the more challenging issues around computer safety concerns the notion of honesty. Most children, and many teenagers, have a difficult time believing that people intentionally misrepresent themselves online. Rather than enter into a complex discussion about online predators and computer ethics, simply remind children that people online are strangers and may not be who they claim they are. With older children and teenagers, you may need to get more specific, telling them that some adults go online and pretend to be teenagers or other children.

Photo Credit

• computer image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com