Internet Safety: Is Technology Safe for your Child?
December's digital citizenship theme is on internet safety. Online safety is an important parent-child discussion to revisit frequently. Experts warn that children are most vulnerable to online dangers in their own home. While many potential dangers are filtered at school, parents sometimes forget that children may have direct access to inappropriate sites at home.
Most social network sites have an age requirement of 13 for your child’s protection. For more information about why age limits matter, read the following article: “
Why Age Limits Matter”
Here are some things to review with your child or teen:
Anything they do or post online creates a digital record, often called your "Cyber Footprint." Nothing online is totally private, even if you intend it to be. Once digitized, it can be saved, sent and re-posted elsewhere.
A good rule of thumb: If you don't want a parent, grandparent, teacher, principal, future employer or college admissions office to know something, don't post it online.
"Friends" aren't always who they say they are; undercover police and pedophiles pretend to be kids online.
Never post personal information online. This includes: full name, address, phone number, email, where you are meeting friends or where you hang out.
To help answer some of the questions and concerns that you may have, visit
Common Sense Media’s frequently asked questions about Internet Safety. You can also filter questions based on the age range at the top of the page.