Safe surfing

Last updated: 15 Sep 2003

Helping your kids stay safe on the internet

Learn how to keep your kids surfing safely with these top tips.

Safety tips
Children's charity the NSPCC, along with other concerned groups have put together a list of guidelines for parents and carers.

Here's what they suggest..

Place the computer where the whole family can use it, rather than out of sight in a bedroom.
Surf the Internet together. If your kids know more about it than you do, get them to give you some lessons!
Search out positive and fun sites. Many TV programmes and other children's media suggest good sites to visit, including their own.
Talk with your children to agree what kinds of sites they are allowed to visit.
The best way to minimise the risk of unsuitable material is to agree what the limits are, and for you to check that these are not exceeded.
Tell your kids not to give out their personal details to anyone over the net, including their name, address, telephone number or school. Use of an online nickname can help here, as long as they don't pretend to be a completely different person, which can create its own problems.
Make sure they don't accept gifts (electronic or otherwise) from strangers, or arrange meetings with new friends without you going with them, and without it being in a public place.
Chat sites are the main way to meet people online and can be lots of fun. But since they can be open to misuse, make sure your children are as cautious of strangers online as they would be in the world outside.
If they see or receive any obscene, abusive or threatening messages, they shouldn't respond, they should let you know, and you should consider letting your Internet service provider know.
Some chat rooms are moderated, which means messages get screened to some extent. But remember, this is not an absolute guarantee. You and your child still need to be careful.
Make sure your children know that they should tell you if they come across anything bad. If you or your child comes across material that is illegal or harmful, be prepared to report it, to the Internet service provider and the Internet Watch Foundation.
(Remember, though, that the IWF can't do anything about material that is offensive, only what is dangerous or against the law.)
Limit the time your children spend online - not only does this keep the expense down, it also stops the Internet taking over their lives.