Internet Safety Guidelines for Parents

Ensuring the safety of your child online is crucial in today’s digital world. Here are some essential tips for parents to discuss with their children:

1. Talk About Cyberbullying: Engage in open conversations about the realities of cyberbullying and online harassment.
2. Ignore Harassment: Teach your child to disregard online teasing or harassment.
3. Avoid Provoking Others: Encourage your child not to engage in or send inflammatory messages online.
4. Support Friends in Need: Remind your child to be supportive if a peer is being targeted online.
5. Report Misconduct: Make sure your child knows how to report a cyberbully or harasser, including the appropriate channels to use.
6. Practice Digital Manners: Instill the importance of respectful behavior online.
7. Responding to Taunts: Equip your child with strategies to handle online taunts effectively.
8. Avoid Offensive Sharing: Discuss the consequences of sharing inappropriate content.
9. Protect Personal Information: Advise your child to be cautious when sharing personal details online.
10. Understand Digital Footprints: Help your child recognize the long-term impact of their online activities.
11. Avoid Sharing Confidential Information: Stress the importance of not sharing sensitive information with ex-friends or partners.
12. Cautious Disclosure: Educate your child on being careful about what they share online.
13. Image Privacy: Discuss ways to protect images from being viewed by strangers.
14. Maintain a Positive Online Reputation: Teach your child how to manage their digital reputation actively.
15. Long-lasting Online Content: Make them aware that images can persist online for many years.
16. Irreversibility of Information: Explain that deleting shared information can be impossible.
17. Be Mindful of Mobile Content: Ensure your child doesn’t keep embarrassing information on their mobile devices.
18. Sexting Risks: Inform your child that sexting can have legal consequences and can be widely shared.
19. Viral Information Sharing: Discuss the potential for personal information to go viral once shared online.
20. Understanding Digital Footprints: Reinforce that everyone leaves a digital footprint.
21. Repeated Image Sharing: Explain that images can be reposted by others multiple times.
22. Harmful Information Awareness: Teach your child what types of information can harm their digital reputation.
23. Positive Online Behavior: Encourage good behavior in chat rooms and online platforms.
24. Use Caution on Social Media: Advise against sharing personal information on platforms like Twitter.
25. Scrutinize Communications: Regularly check for suspicious messages on emails and social media.
26. Avoiding Unsolicited Conversations: Warn against engaging in sexual conversations with strangers online.
27. No Calls to Strangers: Advise against making phone calls to individuals met online.
28. Inform Before Meeting: Stress the importance of telling a trusted adult before meeting someone in person.
29. Don’t Respond to Unknown Users: Teach your child to ignore messages from unfamiliar users in chat rooms.
30. Avoid Unknown Attachments: Warn against opening attachments from unknown sources.
31. Financial Information Caution: Discuss the dangers of sharing financial details with strangers online.
32. Log Out When Uncomfortable: Encourage your child to exit any platform if they feel uneasy.
33. Avoiding Disapproved Activities: Stress the importance of engaging only in approved online activities.
34. Trustworthy Adults: Reinforce that they should consult a trusted adult before meeting online acquaintances.
35. Increased Nighttime Risk: Make your child aware of higher risks when using the internet at night.
36. Sexual Discussions: Discuss the risks associated with sexual topics in conversations with strangers.
37. No Free Downloads: Caution against accepting free software or ringtones from unknown sources.
38. Know Your Contacts: Ensure your child only has known individuals on their friend lists.
39. Protect Personal Information: Stress that personal details should not be sent to unknown individuals.
40. Password Confidentiality: Teach your child to keep passwords private and not share them online.
41. Avoid Sexual Chatting: Warn against discussing sexual topics in chats.
42. Recognizing Predatory Behavior: Educate your child about the tactics used by online predators.
43. Predator Manipulation: Discuss how predators often use kindness and gifts to gain trust.
44. Peer-to-Peer Network Risks: Inform about the vulnerabilities associated with peer-to-peer sharing.
45. Safe Online Practices: Emphasize that good communication practices and digital citizenship are key defenses against predators.
46. Blocking Inappropriate Sites: Teach your child how to restrict access to certain websites.
47. Recognizing Predator Tactics: Make your child aware that predators can be charming and patient.
48. File-Sharing Risks: Explain the potential dangers of file-sharing sites.
49. Encouragement to Share Images: Discuss how predators may try to coax them into sharing personal images.
50. Confidential Information Sharing: Teach your child the dangers of disclosing personal information online.
51. Mobile Device Security: Discuss methods for preventing unwanted access to their devices.
52. Tracking Digital Photos: Educate them on tracking photo sharing from their devices.
53. Firewall Protection: If using home WiFi, always ensure that additional security measures are in place.
54. GPS Awareness: Educate on the risks associated with GPS location services.
55. Location Disclosure Risks: Inform them that GPS can reveal exact locations to others.
56. Mobile Security Controls: Make sure they know how to set parental controls and security settings.
57. Mobile Safety Education: Spend time learning about safe mobile device usage.
58. Security Installation: Teach them how to install security features on their devices.
59. Remote Locking Features: Explain how to set up remote lock and wipe capabilities.
60. Monitor Device Content: Encourage them to regularly check stored images on their devices.
61. Antivirus Protection: Ensure they have reliable antivirus software installed on their devices.
62. Device Care: Remind them to treat their mobile devices with the same care as wallets.
63. Confidential Sharing: Stress the importance of not sharing sensitive information on mobile devices.
64. Silencing Devices Publicly: Encourage them to silence their devices in public spaces.
65. Compliance with Policies: Discuss the importance of adhering to school or workplace policies regarding device usage.
66. Filtering Limitations: Make them aware of the limited content filtering options available for mobile devices.
67. GPS Risks Reinforcement: Reiterate the dangers of sharing location data.
68. Location Awareness: Remind them that GPS can disclose precise locations to others.
69. Password Sharing Warning: Advise against sharing passwords with close friends.
70. Multiple Passwords: Emphasize the importance of using different passwords for different accounts.
71. Understanding Cyber Threats: Educate them about common threats like spyware and viruses.
72. Security Settings Knowledge: Teach them how to adjust their computer’s security settings effectively.
73. WiFi Network Security: Ensure they understand how to secure home wireless networks.
74. Avoiding Questionable Activities: Encourage them not to engage in questionable online activities.
75. Link Caution: Warn against clicking links in unknown emails or messages.
76. Video Comment Links: Advise against clicking on suspicious links in video comments.
77. Avoiding Personal Info Posts: Stress the importance of not posting personal contact numbers online.
78. Cautious Contact Sharing in Gaming: Discuss the risks of sharing contact information on gaming platforms.
79. No Image Exchanges: Warn against exchanging images with online contacts.
80. Log Off When Idle: Encourage logging off instant messaging accounts when not in use.
81. Understanding Risks of Personal Disclosure: Educate on the dangers of sharing personal information.
82. Website Security Checks: Ensure school or work sites are password protected.
83. Email Address Protection: Advise caution when posting email addresses to avoid spam.
84. Avoid Real Names in Usernames: Encourage them to use pseudonyms instead of real names online.
85. Address Privacy: Stress the importance of not sharing full names or addresses publicly.
86. Alternative Image Posting: Encourage posting alternative images when prompted to share personal ones.
87. No Personal Info on Friends’ Profiles: Remind them not to post personal details on friends’ social media profiles.
88. Multiple Email Use: Encourage the use of different email addresses for various purposes.
89. Contact Info in Profiles: Advise against including personal contact details in profiles.
90. Legal Download Practices: Stress the importance of only downloading legal content.
91. Know Where to Seek Help: Make sure they know who to contact if approached for sexual solicitation online.
92. Sensitive Info on Social Media: Ensure their social media profiles don’t display sensitive information publicly.
93. Password Confidentiality on Social Media: Reinforce the importance of not sharing passwords for social media accounts.
94. Flattering Messages Caution: Discuss the potential risks of receiving flattering messages online.
95. Friends Only Settings: Encourage keeping social media profiles private and limited to friends.
96. Online Etiquette Learning: Spend time educating about proper online behavior.
97. Privacy Setting Reviews: Regularly review privacy and security settings on social media platforms.
98. Personal Images Posting Caution: Advise against posting personal photos online.
99. Ignoring Strange Communications: Encourage them to refrain from responding to odd emails or messages.