Let me get this out of the way, Everyone’s parenting style is different, but our goals are the same. To see our kids grow and lead a safe and happy fulfilling life. This first step is a general guide, Feel free to tailor it to your needs.
No matter how young your kids are, chances are they are already Cyber ninjas and can navigate your phone, tablet and maybe your computer. Here are a few guidelines for kids preteen and younger.
- Don’t’ be scared, Be honest, we are here for you and if you click on something that you shouldn\’t have, don’t be scared. to come and tell us.
- If you see something Don’t be afraid to come and tell your Parents.
- Strangers are strangers, whether you meet in person or if someone tries to talk to you online. Come and get help from your parents.
If your kids are a little bit older, Here are a few guidelines.
- Bullying is a big deal, whether it is cyber or in person. Don’t engage in it and if you are being harassed by someone, tell us, your teacher, your coach. Just tell someone that you trust. Remember cyber bullying can happen 24/7/365. Here is a great Government rescue to teach about CyberBullying
- Don’t give out personal information, specially anything close to PII (Personal Identifiable Information) such as address, telephone number, parents’ work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school ) even if it seems harmless at that time your are doing it, As in “oh its only my first name” people are good at piecing bits of information together and can find out a lot about you without your consent. Here are a few links that can give away a lot of personal information without really intending to.
Plug your name into these fine sites to see what information they have.
Scary Huh?
- Don’t download software even though its from a “friend” – you can never know the identity of someone you bump into online. The software could be infected with viruses that reveal more than you expect.
- Never, Never agree to meet someone in person, unless you have your parents approval, and they are there with you.
- Be a good person, in person and online and don’t engage in anything that can hurt someone or break any laws.
IMO Sending pictures is the hardest thing to get under wrap, smartphones, tablets and their apps (think Instagram, vine, etc) make it way too easy to send pictures with a click. Even if a user deletes their own personal account from these social media sites, these picture usually reside on their servers and usually get cached from search engines and get passed around. What are Your thoughts? Keep it tuned for a quick tutorial on how to see if a picture is cached by the search engines.
Again this post is to give you ideas and some general guidelines to help you “set expectations”. If any of the suggestions are out of line…drop me a line…heyhowboutdat! i was a poet and didn’t even know it…
Next up…Tech can help!! Thanks for visiting the blog!
-Vik
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