Internet Safety

‹ Age 10 - 12 • 16 and Over ›

Online Safety Tips for Parents of Children Age 13 - 15:

• Respect their privacy more and talk with them about their online experiences.
• Filter sites that are inappropriate for young teens, instead of blocking all but approved sites. Some bad ones will get through, though. So talk about it beforehand.
• Give them more leeway on people they can accept IMs or e-mails from. But check and account for everyone, in real life, on their buddy list. No friends of friends.
• Make sure you filter or block image searches (a way around many filters).
• Block peer-to-peer technologies and get your kids an account with iTunes or another legal music download site.
• Teach them to guard their passwords. Password theft is a serious problem at this age.
• Teach them not to pirate software or motion pictures.
• Have them Google themselves often, screen names, telephone and cell numbers, addresses, full names, nicknames, etc. (all in quotation marks to search the whole phrase).
• Try and limit their use of chatrooms to monitored chatrooms or themed chatrooms on safe topics.
• Limit their online use (including text messaging) to under 1-½ hours a day (aside from a special school project).
• Keep them out of social network or online dating sites (like xanga.com, friendster.com or match.com).
• Talk to them about not meeting strangers offline, and agree to go with them or teach them large group safe meeting tips.
• Get girls a copy of "A Girl's Life Online" (formerly known as "Katie.com") to read.
• Computer still in a central location, if it has Internet access, and watch new interactive devices, like cell phones, text messaging devices and interactive gaming devices, like Xbox Live. Use parental controls if they come with them. (Xbox Live got an award from us for their safety devices and parental controls.)
• Consider setting up a Tweenangels or Teenangels chapter, or starting an online safety club at their school.

Safety Tips for Parents of Children Under 8 • Age 8 - 10 • Age 10 - 12 • Age 13 - 15 • 16 and Over