I'd like to introduce a new concept in helping our children learn to be safe online. It's called the Talk. I'd like every family to have at least one "talk" with each of their kids every year (minimum) to review family rules and to reintroduce Mom and Dad to their children's online lives.
50% of US parents say they've spoken to their children about online safety (source: Harris Norton Online Living Report, January 2008). Is that a regular, ongoing discussion or a once "stay away from online strangers" chat? I'm proposing we formalize this a bit, in order to improve the results for the parents and the children.
Because your children will change their online activities from year to year, we really need to make sure we stay connected to our kids with this conversation. Let's keep it simple, your goal is to understand how your child is using technology, recognize any potential risk factors that need addressing and ensure you are the person your child can go to if something weird should happen when they are the web. Have the conversation during a quiet time when there are no time pressures and you have the online computer at hand. Keep the chat neutral, not confrontational. You'll get better insights if your child doesn't think he's getting blamed for something or about to get a privilege taken away if he's honest. Here are just some sample questions to guide your conversation:
What are your friends' favorite things to do online?
What are the coolest or newest websites? (Or online activities or services)
Can you show me your favorite sites? Why do you like them? (If a game, ask to see how it's played.)
Have you heard of anyone being cyberbullied in your school? (You may need to explain what cyberbullying is.)
Has anything weird or that made you uncomfortable ever happened when you were online?
That's it! If you have the Talk with your child, you'll be amazed at what you'll learn about their experiences with technology and you'll get a better appreciation of what interests your kid. And it's also a good way to reinforce your role as parent, Setter of Rules for using the Internet in your home. If you have kept the conversation open and non-confrontational, your son or daughter will see you as a trustworthy person to come to if anything bad were to happen to them while they were online.
Original posting date: Friday, April 4, 2008 | 2:00 PM |