THE INTERNET THREAT

We have seen stories of suicides, kidnappings and abuse that have occurred after children have accessed E-mail, chat rooms and Web sites. So, just how frightened should teachers and parents be? And is there anything that can be done to prevent children from becoming victims of those who lurk in the dark corners of the Internet?

Ultimately, the Internet is not controlled by the government. It is not controlled by big business. It is not controlled by Internet service providers. The Internet is controlled by YOU, the parents and teachers. The Internet can be a marvelous resource in your homes and classrooms. But it can also be a menace.

So what can you do to make sure your children and students are safe on the Internet? Quite a bit. Here are a few basic rules to follow as you travel around the Internet:

Learn how the Internet works.
Learn what to stay away from on the Internet.
Learn where the "good stuff" is.
Work with your students and children.
Learn some common sense techniques that promote Internet safety.
Treat the Internet (the Cyber-Village) as You Would Your Own Neighborhood

We teach our students and children all sorts of rules about being safe in the real world, and we need to teach the same rules for the virtual world. As parents, we check out the new neighbors before we let our kids visit. We have rules about where to go in the mall. We establish rules about phone use. The same principles apply to the Internet.

It may be very embarrassing to ask a 7-year-old how to use an Internet browser, so read a couple of books to find out how things work. Or better yet, go to the Internet itself to find out. It is better to ask and be embarrassed, than not to ask and regret it later.

Spend some time exploring what is "out there." Learn to use search tools such as Yahoo or Google.

Your kids must be taught how to protect themselves while online. The American Library Association's Five Basic Rules for Internet Safety for children are:

Never give your name, address, phone number or school name to anyone you meet online.
Never go into a new online area that will cost extra without asking your parents' permission.
Never give out a credit card number online.
Never arrange to meet in person with someone you have met online unless you discuss it with your parents and an adult goes with you to a very public place.
Always tell your parents or other adult you trust if you see something online that is scary or that you do not understand.

Here are some more commonsense rules:

Set up the computer with the monitor facing into the room so that you, the parent, can see it.
Set up the computer in a "family" or high-traffic area.
Every Internet browser has a "history" file that shows what sites have been visited and the time of access. Set this file to keep the history for several days and check it periodically. If the file has been erased, ask why (a good family rule: only Mom or Dad is allowed to erase the history file. Violations will result in loss of computer privileges).
Learn how to use the Internet yourself.
Make Internet use a family activity.

If you have kids in the house with access to the Internet, you must learn enough about it to be able to intelligently control its use and their access to it. I know for some of you who consider yourselves “computer illiterate”, this is a big challenge. But you must be proactive. There is too much at stake to sit by doing nothing. You’ve already learned to do many things in your life. Learning the basics of computers and the Internet is certainly something you can also learn to do.

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