Security Online

Having parental control software isn’t enough. Children are very trusting, for the most part, and they often believe everything that they are told. Children are often stalked by predators through the Internet – at first. Then that stalking moves offline. You absolutely must monitor your children when they are on the Internet, to ensure that they are not giving away identifiable information. You cannot just tell them the risks. For children, this isn’t enough, and often, in the rebellious years, children want to see what you are ‘protecting’ them from.

Younger children have no business being online without the direct help and supervision of an adult. Teenagers, however, are a different story. They use the Internet often for homework, or to chat with friends. They don’t want their parents reading their email or hanging over their shoulder’s reading their instant messages. This presents a problem, because if you can’t see what is going on, you don’t know what your teenager is doing – or what information they are giving out. You must set rules in your home concerning computer usage, and your make sure your teenager understands that their use of the Internet will be monitored and why. They won’t like it, and they will rebel against it. As adults, we know the dangers. Teenagers simply cannot see what we see, and they think we are crazy, or overly protective – sometimes, they honestly think that we just want to ruin their fun – but someday, when they are grown up, with children of their own, they will understand why you were ‘invading their space and privacy.’