Cyber bullying and social engineering are serious issues in the Internet. It is too easy to gain user accounts to online services, and anonymous email addresses, which are often unverified, meaning that the Internet allows people to appear to be anyone. Twitter suffered this problem with new users able to sign up accounts in the names of well known celebrities, which led the Twitter team to create the ‘Verified by Twitter’ program.

So who are you really talking to online? More importantly, who are your children really talking to online? And can you be sure these friends are really who they say they are? Social networking online can be fun and can offers ways for children to build their confidence talking to others however there are many risks associated with online surfing which you should consider.

Fortunately, there are a lot of things you can do to help ease your mind and keep your children safer online, here are some key points:

• Ensure whatever computer you or your child uses for the Internet has appropriate and up to date protection software including anti-virus, anti-spam, and parental control software.
• Education is a key tool. Teaching children not to give out personally identifiable information is a first step. Children should be encouraged to keep all passwords secret from other online people and to adopt a sensible behaviour when communicating online. Children should feel they can talk to a parent or carer about their experiences online – especially if they are worried about something.
• There are five key messages to teach your child about safety online, known as SMART:
• Safety – Don’t give out personal information
• Meeting – Never agree to meet up with online friends – always consult a parent
• Accept – Never accept emails, instant messages, gifts or anything else from people you don’t know
• Reliable – People you talk to online may not really be who you think they are
• Tell – Tell someone, talk to someone if you have worries or concerns
• Agree with your child which key social networking sites, and other communication forums, they will go to and reinforce this will parental control software if necessary. Remember, if you have concerns, you can use the history button in Internet Explorer to see what sites have been accessed on your computer.
• When creating user accounts for logging into sites, or for nicknames on profile pages, online try and avoid using using full names or other quickly identifiable information.
• With new people online, start from a position of distrust. Don’t worry – friends and family will understand your position – ensuring that the people who your child is communicating with are who they say they are is
• Talk to your child about their online experiences, particularly with a view to understanding who they may be talking to online and why. This needs to be approached sensitively and openly so your child doesn’t simply feel you are prying on them when their conversations may be quite innocent.
• Ensure your child understands that they should not meet strangers in person after talking to them on the Internet and they should never accept gifts from strangers online. If you have instant messaging software on your computer ensure it is set to only allow valid contacts to message you or your child.
• Teach your child to approach web links with caution and to avoid clicking on them wherever possible – even though a site may look valid it may be a phishing site.
• Be careful about photographs that are posted online, pay particular attention to what is in the background of a picture – it could give clues which could personally identify you or your child (think street names, school uniforms, car registration numbers, frequently visited places).
• Ensure children understand the importance of logging off websites properly, especially if they use them in public places.
• If there is an alerting feature or panic button on the web site that your child visits ensure you are aware of it, and how it works.
• Consider using Google SafeSearch (and lock it with a password) to ensure inappropriate search pages are not presented to your children.
• Try and keep Internet connected computers in a popular area of the house, so you can see when and how often a website is being used.
• Watch out for gaming sites too. Many gaming sites have ingame messaging, chat, or forums attached to them. Ensure your child understands the behaviour expectations of communication online so they don’t become victim to (or become the cause of) cyber bullying.
• Flying off the handle at your kids for talking to others online could have adverse affects so ensure you read as much advice on the subject as possible, the further reading section below has pointers to some key initiatives and websites online.

Further Reading About Online Safety

• FBI Publications – A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety
• Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre – internet safety – CEOP
• Virtual Global Taskforce
• Child Safety Online – Prevention Guidelines – Microsoft Security
• Childnet
• Google Tips for Online Safety
• COPPA – Children’s Online Privacy Protection
• BBC: Your Kids – Keeping them safe
• NSPCC: Help your child surf in safety
• Internet Watch Foundation
• CBBC: Stay Safe

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