Kids and The Internet

95% of Canadian youth have internet access at home. 40% of internet connected youth have their own website. Being online allows your child to be connected to the world and everything that is good and bad about it. More than 68% of parents do not supervise their children’s online activities. That is staggering considering that kids can get into some pretty big trouble through online activities.

Did you know?

• Many students plagiarize from the internet
• 1/3 of students don’t confirm the information they receive online
• Over half of 13-14 year olds visit age inappropriate sites
• 43% of teens and children have been asked for an in-person meeting by someone they met online, of those 20% accepted!
• 15% of 11-12 year olds have reported receiving e-mail that has scared them… but only 20% have told an adult!

Help your child practice online safety through a few simple and common sense steps.

• Keep the computer in a public area in your house like the family room or kitchen,
  NOT in your child’s bedroom.
• Teach your child never to meet an online friend offline unless you are with them
• Make sure your child feel comfortable coming to you with questions,and DON’T over-react, otherwise they won’t come to you the next time there’s a problem.
• Encourage discussions between you and your child
• Get to know your child’s online friends just as you would all of their other friends
• Warn your child that people may not be who they seem to be online
• Protect your wireless internet signal with a password.
• Teach your child not to give out personal information online including specific information about where they live, the members of their family and your day to day activities