Share the following tips with parents. These suggestions can make a child's Internet and cell phone experience safer.
- Talk to your kids about the rewards and potential risks of Internet use.
- Explore the Web together—make clear certain sites to avoid and those to frequent.
- Educate kids on how to report any online materials or communications that make them feel scared, uncomfortable, and/or confused.
- Have spam filter software installed on home computers. Some Internet providers, search engines, and peer-to-peer file-sharing systems have kid-safe options that can be activated. These help reduce the risks of children coming in contact with sexually explicit materials.
- Talk to your kids about the dangers of responding to online communications of sexually suggestive nature.
- Discuss the realities of online bullying. Read recent news articles together and talk about emotions that are felt by everyone involved in the situation—victim, victim's family, perpetrators and their families, school administrators, local community, etc.
- Know your child's buddy list.
- Make sure your child knows how to set the privacy settings for social media sites such as Facebook and Myspace. Teach children the dangers of sharing personal information with strangers.
- Have set rules about cell phone usage and text messaging.
- Explain the dangers of "sexting"—senders of such messages can be prosecuted for child pornography.
- Review your child's cell phone records for unknown numbers.
