KidCareKit

Power Parent Report Monday, December 27th 2006

Safety on MySpace
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* "important for parents to monitor what their children post on the Internet"
* "MySpace is part blog (online journal), part instant messenger, part e-mail and part photo journal."

What not to do:

• Post personal images.
• Post your true full name.
• Post your home or cellphone number.
• Post your true age or date of birth.
• Post your true home or business address.
• Post your school name or your year of graduation.

What to do:

• Discuss Internet risks with your child.
• Enter into a safe-computing contract with your child.
• Remember that every day is Halloween on the Internet.
• People on the Internet are not always as they first appear.
• Enable Internet-filtering features if they are available from your Internet service.
• Consider installing monitoring software or keystroke-capture devices on your family computer that will help monitor your child's Internet activity.

Summary:  Don't let your child reveal personal information online, keep communication open with your child, things are not always what they seem.

Parents Say Kid's New Computer Laden With Pornography
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* Child gift computer has pornography
* Parents bought floor model for child
* Computer had pornography

Summary:  If you buy any computer, used, get it looked at and cleaned by a computer professional

MySpace Users Tempting Targets for Identity Theft
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* Myspace is prone to..."unfriendly attacks from digital miscreants on the prowl, luring users to sexually explicit Web sites, clogging mailboxes with spam messages and playing on the trust users have when speaking to "friends'' to obtain passwords that could lead to identity theft"

Internet safety for families
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"Ten Tips to Internet Safety for a Family

   1. Don't freak out when discovering your child is viewing distasteful material.
   2. Explore with your child the questionable subjects. Learn with them. Find out why they are attracted to the information and material.
   3. Avoid lecturing and focus on guiding.
   4. Watch for secretive or obsessive use.
   5. Watch for scheduled use. Does you child claim needing the computer at a specific time? Why?
   6. Monitor your computer for new programs, instant messaging, and unknown emails and email accounts.
   7. Create an Internet contract with your family.
   8. Provide a safe communication forum for your kids to ask questions and inform you of Internet troubles and uncomfortable situations.
   9. Emphasize the importance of not disclosing personal information over the Internet. This includes information about family, friends and even a child or teen's enemies.
  10. In repeated conversations, stress the importance that no matter how "safe" a child/teen feels with an Internet stranger, they should NEVER meet that person without parental knowledge and accompaniment"

Summary:  This was a great article, should be read in its entirety

by Adam J. Richter M.S. of KidCareKit.com