Do You Know Where Your Child Is? ~ Security Garden

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Do You Know Where Your Child Is?

When I grew up, parental instructions were, "Be home by dark" and "Don't talk to strangers". We live in a much different world today. Although those same instructions may still be given, there are many more dangers to children today.

Just as we keep the roof patched on our house, provide warm coats and mittens, and try to get our children to eat a balanced diet, when it comes to children online, it is our obligation to first provide a safe environment. A good start is this 10-Minute guide for beginners, provided by *Get Safe Online:

"If you do nothing else, read this

This article contains a high level checklist of main actions that you need to take to protect your computer and key advice about protecting yourself from online criminals. It is a starting point, not a substitute for visiting the rest of the site."

As a parent and grandparent, I would also encourage regularly checking sites like Microsoft Canada's At Home site where these articles are currently highlighted:

	Online safety tips for kids ages 5 to 6
	Are your kids addicted to the Internet?
	Online safety tips for kids ages 2 to 4

A "must read" is Be Web Aware, The Be Web Aware project is a joint project sponsored by Bell Canada and Microsoft Canada and includes a wealth of information for families. The currently indexed topics are linked below with the references.

In the little over a year that I have been maintaining this blog, I have compiled quite a few other references for parents. They are all labeled "child safety" and are included in the references.

Please "Be Web Aware" and keep your children safe online.

References: