Prevention Tips
What Can Parents Do?
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Keep an open communication with your child about their online activities. Have a positive discussion with your child about Internet safety.
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Start this communication as early as possible and age appropriately, e.g.
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What’s your favorite thing to do online?
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Show me the funniest YouTube video.
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Let’s play your favorite online game.
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Some things you can ask are:
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What sites will you visit?
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Who will you be talking to online?
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How long will you be online?
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Instruct your child:
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To never arrange a face-to-face meeting with someone they met online;
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To never upload or post pictures of themselves onto the Internet or onto an online service for people they do not personally know;
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To never give out identifying information, such as their name, home address, school, or phone number;
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To never download pictures from an unknown source, as there is a good chance there could be sexually explicit images;
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To never respond to messages or bulletin board postings that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, or harassing;
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That whatever they are told online may or may not be true;
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To not respond to offensive or dangerous email, chat, or other communication;
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To tell you if they see something that makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused; and
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To keep the offensive or dangerous posts as evidence and contact your local law enforcement.
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Keep the computer in a common area
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Monitor your child’s online activities
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Be aware of what your child is posting online
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Consider time limitations on electronic communication
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Become computer literate and get to know the services your child uses
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Consider using filtering or monitoring software for your computer
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Share an email account with your child so you can view his or her emails