November 25, 2012
Murgon State High School Technical Officer Farhad Kamal provides ICT support for his school and a number of other cluster schools in the South Burnett region.
Farhad also has a YouTube channel with IT updates, reviews and tutorials.
He has prepared the following advice for parents concerned about their children’s use of the Internet:
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When I was a kid, my parents didn’t monitor my use of Internet … because there was no Internet in my childhood! I fondly remember staying outside playing outdoor games until well past dark.
It never seemed like our parents were too concerned. I’m sure they kept tabs on us, but they didn’t watch our every move!
Unfortunately, though, times are different now.
It’s amazing to think about the advancements that have been made since the Internet went mainstream. But not all things are good.
Along with the really neat features the Internet has, there are many bad elements – from online porn to online sexual predators.
And we, as parents, have a duty to keep a vigilant watch over our children’s use of the Internet because of these bad elements.
When we were kids, our parents would ask where we were going, who we would be with and when we would be home – and we would invariably break the rules sometimes.
The difference is that now we have the Internet – and instead of us asking the above questions, we have to ask them what websites or chat rooms they will be on and who they are interacting with. And no matter how much you tell them to not visit a certain site, they will visit it when you are not looking – whether on purpose or on accident.
We cannot watch over their shoulders all the time – and sadly there are huge numbers of sexual predators online – but we can keep track of our kids’ every move online, record their passwords and even send us an email alert when they are doing something they shouldn’t be with some useful monitoring software installed in the computer.
It is absolutely essential to protect our kids from the vulgarities of the Internet by investing in quality monitoring software.
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The Internet poses three main risks to your kid: adult websites, spam emails and chat rooms.
How can you make sure that your kids have the freedom to roam the Internet, do their homework or chat with friends without putting themselves at risk?
Here are three tips to keep the Internet safer.
1. Protection from adult websites
Adult websites containing explicit and violent images are widespread on the Internet – as well as guides to making bombs and other explosives – and there’s a chance your child may stumble across one.
Some of these websites have a warning on the homepage that alerts visitors to the content of the site, but the best way to avoid them is with parental control software that allows you to restrict and block certain sites using keywords, or monitor the sites that your child has been visiting.
Some options are listed below.
- Looksmart Net Nanny – Customise your settings for each family member. Filters content by keyword, blocks pop-ups and can limit access
- Norton Internet Security – Fits users into categories: child, teenager, adult or supervisor and includes virus protection, firewall, anti-spam and more.
- McAfee Privacy Service – Easy to install and use, blocks sites according to a predetermined list of banned keywords.
Windows also offers parental control software and advice on monitoring and controlling your kid’s Internet usage, from ages two, up to late teens.
You should also remember to keep your own password, as the PC’s administrator, secret so that your kids cannot log in as an adult and access the sites that you have restricted in their own log in.
2. Protection from unsuitable spam emails
Spam emails are a threat to anyone with an email account, and adult websites often target new users by sending out unsolicited emails.
This is illegal in many countries but it’s very difficult to impose geographical boundaries on the Internet.
Adult spam emails will usually come from countries where these laws are absent or rarely enforced. Many email providers have spam protection measures but these often just filter spam into a separate folder. However, if you are worried, you can buy specialised software to deal with this problem.
Some spam control software:
- Email Protect – Easy to install, foolproof email blocker for beginners. Reports back on your child’s Internet activity and instant messages.
- Choice Mail One – An “email firewall” that blocks spam before it reaches you, rather than filtering it once it’s reached your inbox. One of the more expensive products.
- Spam Shield – Highly-rated, easily installed email blocker.
3. Protection from dangerous adults in chatrooms
Predatory adults can easily sign up as a chat room user pretending to be another child.
In some circumstances, kids have been put at risk when the adult has arranged to meet up in person or has been given personal details such as the child’s address.
The cheapest and easiest way to prevent your child from being a victim is by talking to them about the risks, and the importance of “safe surfing”.
When they’re using a chatroom, they should always follow these rules:
- Never give out any personal details, including their full name, home town, phone number, email address or the name of their school.
- Never arrange to meet anyone without an adult accompanying them. They should let their new friend know that this will be the case.
- Tell an adult if a chatroom friend says anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
- Always stay anonymous, using a username or nickname at all times.
If your child tells you that someone in their chat room is saying inappropriate things, try to get their username and report them to the website so that it can take action.
Another option is to sign-up for Imsafer (www.imsafer.com) – a downloadable tool which helps to keep kids safe while they’re in chatrooms and social networking sites such as Facebook and Bebo. It works by monitoring the conversations kids are having and alerting the parent by text and/or email if the conversation suggests that bullying or grooming is going on.
It has been tested by Cambridge University and backed by UK charity BeatBullying. One of the pros of the tool is that it doesn’t interfere with the kids’ fun but runs in the background, only alerting the parent if a genuine threat is present.
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Farhad Kamal assists at Murgon SHS, Goomeri SS, Proston SS, Cherbourg SS, Murgon SS, and Moffatdale SS.
