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Parental Internet Monitoring Keep Children Safe Online

by Online Safety Tips on 30/06/10 at 12:35 pm

We would all like to believe that our children know the difference between right and wrong, that they would know when to make the right decisions while online, that there is complete and utter trust in the decisions that they make. Unfortunately, like it or not, kids are kids…and they can be tempted..no matter how much we’ve taught them about the danger that can lurk online.

There are those that will misconstrue the internet monitoring of a child by a parent as the “big brother syndrome”, but even those who are experts in the threats that lie online know that absolutely NO child is immune from the danger or the temptation that is on the internet.

As a parent it is our duty to know what our kids are doing, whether it is in the cyber world or in the real world.  So should we be looking over their shoulders 24/7 while they are online? No..but it’s vital to their safety that we know who they are communicating with-just like we would in the real world.

Would you let your daughter go to the prom with a boy you’ve never met? What if he turns out to be some 45 year old man that she met online? It’s not that unheard of is it?

It used to be just porn sites that parents needed to monitor or exclude from their children’s online activity, but chat rooms and email are now just as big of an issue, if not bigger. Chances are that if your child has spent time in a chat room they have already been sexually solicited online!

The hard facts are that a study by the U.S. Department of Justice and Crimes against Children Research Center showed that almost 1 out of 5 internet users between the ages of 10 and 17 have gotten an unwanted sexual solicitation online. Those numbers are staggering!

If you think your child is doing something or talking to someone inappropriate or you would just feel better knowing…there are numerous avenues to travel when it comes to online monitoring. Explore them and do some research, then choose the best one for your situation.

But, the most important thing to remember is that it doesn’t matter what someone else thinks about the monitoring of your child’s internet usage, this is about your child’s safety!

I would much rather have someone make derogatory comments about the way that I raise my child than to deal with the alternative if I couldn’t keep them safe…at least this way I have them to raise!!!