Keeping kids safe on the Internet

Who is the single most dangerous group to your children on the net? Themselves. Yes, really. If you've worked with children, especially teens, you know that this is true. They take risks, they do things to their bodies that hurt them -- even more so when they are among friends.

What follows is information on how to protect kids from themselves on the Internet, and, amazingly, will keep them safe from others who have ill intentions.

One of the objectives of being young is to learn. This means that children are naturally very curious about their world and everything in it. They are also very naive. Curiosity is one of the greatest assets a child has, and it is also the one thing that lands them into the most trouble. Here is how you can protect your kids from their own curiosity:

All computers capable of being connected to the Internet should be in a public area of the house.
Children should always be supervised while on the net, or know that at any time someone could be looking over their shoulder. This way, they are less likely to go to places they shouldn't while online. If the computer(s) are in a room, that room shouldn't have a door.
Keep the DSL/Cable modem and router in the parent's bedroom. Disconnect the modem when it is time for bed, or when the parents will be away.
Keeping the computers in a public place doesn't help much if you aren't there to monitor them.
Use you're router/firewall's URL filtering capability
Some home (Netgear) routers/firewalls can be configured for URL filtering, use it to block sites that could be inappropriate or to block sites you don't want your kids on (myspace.com and youtube.com are great ones to block). This blocking occurs in the little plastic box, long before Windows ever sees it. It will filter ANY computer connected to your Internet connection, and there are no ways around it, especially if the room the router is in is kept locked.
Use Parental Controls in Windows Vista, or other filtering software, such as that in Panda's Internet Security software
Windows Vista gives you far better control over your child's access to a computer than ever before: You can specify when your child use the computer, what programs they can run, and what game ratings they can play.
However, keep in mind that all software based firewalls can be circumvented-- and gaining administrator access to Windows can happen in minutes, even if the password is 256 characters long. Do not rely on your Internet software's filtering ability, all it does is provide an extra layer of protection-- that's it.

The second problem kids have is the need to feel like they belong somewhere, to feel important, and to feel loved. If they don't feel they belong, they will seek out some group that will accept them. If they don't feel important, they will seek out others that will make them feel important, or they may become depressed and suicidal (of 9th graders that were still alive, 18% seriously considered suicide and 14% made a plan, 12% attempted it, and only 4% needed treatment for injuries according to the CDC in 2005). If they don't feel loved, they will seek out those that will love them, or whatever substitute they can find for love that will make them feel good.

I'm sure you already know how to make your child feel important and more loved at home-- if you don't, go see a psychologist (there's one on our floor of the office complex), they'll have lots of tips for you, and studying Developmental Psychology on your own helps a little too. As for a feeling of belonging, clubs and other youth groups other than sports teams are great to get them started in (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, church organizations, anything other than team sports).

So what does that have to do with being safe on the Internet? Well, the Internet is one big community all connected by a wire. They can, and do, seek out people on the net to talk to. You can't block everything and keep your children sheltered forever. So instead, fulfill their basic needs for love and feeling of worth as much as you can at home, so they'll have little need to seek for it elsewhere.