Cybersafety and your Family

Tips for Parents

• Keep the computer in the family room or another location where you can see what your child is doing.
• Use Parental Controls to limit the sites your child can access.
• Limit the amount of time your child is using the computer
• Talk to your child about cyber safety and cyber bullying.

Remind children to never:

• Give personal information such as name, birthday, address or phone number
• Download pictures or documents from strangers
• Use any personal information when creating a screen name or email account

Check Out These Websites as a Family:

www.staysafeonline.info/
National Cyber Security Alliance

http://www.netsmartzkids.org/indexfl.htm
On line activities for kids that teach about cybersafety, passwords, viruses and instant messaging

http://www.isafe.org/
Internet Safety Education

http://disney.go.com/cybersafety/
Disney On Line interactive activities about Cyber Safety

http://ikeepsafe.org/--index.php
On line games for cyber safe kids

Social Networks: myspace.com, facebook

If your child is using social networking site, please speak to your child immediately. Students attending Birches School are not old enough to have these accounts according to the site rules and regulations. If your child has created an account, they are not being truthful. This is a dangerous on line activity that gives strangers access to your child’s personal information.

Tips for Students

• Never give personal information about yourself to anyone on line
• Never agree to meet anyone in person, if someone wants to talk to you in person, talk to an adult about it
• Don’t respond to emails or instant messages from people you do not know, even if they seem like they know you
• Don’t bully people on line, never put anything on line that you do not want to see printed and brought to school

• Never respond to messages that are scary
• Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet
• If someone writes an email or instant message to you that is threatening or harmful, don’t just delete it, print it out and show it to an adult.

Cyber Bullying

  Recent national surveys show that 45% of fourth-to-eight grade students have been bullied.  But it’s not happening on the playground—it’s in their home.  Bullies harass and threaten others on line through the home computer.  In most instances this occurs when the parents are working.  In addition to bullying situations, children are opening themselves up to at risk situations.  There are tips above and information for parents and students, as well as resources, to address cyber bullying.

Child Survey