Teen Safety on the Internet

Sometimes it takes a tragedy like the death of Nichole Cable to remind us of the need to talk with our children about the need for safety on the Internet. I went searching online and found these great tips from the Palo Alto Medical Center Sutter Health. You can see them all here.

More and more teenagers are logging on to the Internet every day. Although the Internet is a great source for research projects and other information, there are also dangers involved with surfing the Web.

For example, a study conducted in 2000 found that 25 percent of kids 10 to 17 years of age received unwanted pornographic material.

The Web allows you to be completely anonymous. Someone who says that he is a 15-year-old boy may actually be a 50-year-old man pretending to be a teen for inappropriate reasons. As a result, agreeing to meet in person with someone you met over the Internet is extremely dangerous, as this can result in sexual assault or even murder.

How to Stay Safe on the Internet

• Never give out personal information, such as your name, home address or phone number, the name of your school, pictures, credit card numbers or the names of your parents without permission from your parents.
• Do not meet in person with someone you met online.
• Do not give out your password to anyone.
• In chat rooms, use a name that is not gender-specific so you are less likely to receive pornographic material or other forms of harassment. If you do receive pornographic material, report it to your local police department.

E-mail Safety

• Do not open links or files from people you do not know.
• Never respond to e-mails with pornographic or other inappropriate material.
• Do not respond to advertisements -- this confirms that you have a working e-mail account, and you will only receive more junk e-mail.