Internet Safety

Age 8 - 10›

Online Safety Tips for Parents of Children Under 8 Years of Age:

• Use filtering or parental control technologies. Block everything that isn't pre-approved, rather than just filtering out the "bad" sites.
• Think about whether they really need e-mail or IM, and if you determine they do, block all communications from anyone other than pre-approve senders.
• Make sure that the buddy list is no longer than the age of the child, and that you know (in real life) everyone on it.
• Bookmark their favorite Web sites so they won't mistype them and end up at a "bad" site.
• Use kid sized search engines : Yahoo Kids! and Ask Jeeves for Kids.
• Limit their online time to no more than ½ a day, unless they have a special project for school.
• Check with their teachers often for suggested Web sites and for recommendations for good resources online.
• Don't let them use interactive games, such as Xbox Live or Sony Playstation network yet. You should use Toontown.com instead.
• Sit down with them as often as possible and find out where they go online, what they like and ask or answer any questions.
• No Web sites or profiles or blogs or other interactive communications without pre-approval of whatever is posted.
• Look for safe site lists you can trust. Check out the WiredKids Best of the Web Web site list.

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