Framing Internet safety rules for children

The internet is a medium that can be educational as well as harmful to children. While it opens them up to a world full of knowledge, it exposes them to the risks of perverted unadulterated content.

It is therefore important to lay down some internet safety rules for children before they access the internet. Some of the precautions may be as follows.

1. Read before you click and don’t click on a link unless you know where it will take you and you want to go there.

2. Don’t open emails from anyone you don’t know or that you didn’t solicit.

3. Don’t type in URLs. Use a search engine to find a site and bookmark it.

4. Don’t share personal information.

5. If someone crosses the line and makes you feel uncomfortable about what is happening, stop and report it immediately.

6. Don’t meet anyone in person without you’re parents’ permission and being accompanied by them.

It is also important to remember that in order to establish the perfect set of internet safety rules for children, you may want to have a discussion with them while framing the rules.

From Professional Learning Board’s online continuing education course for teachers: Internet Safety: Protecting Children in an Online World