Teach online safety to your kids

More and more kids are surf online these days. It is very important to teach them to protect themselves online. Comcast and Mcfee sponsored a Cyber Summer Safety Challenge for kids age 5 and up:

For kids age 5-9:
#1: The Internet is fun and we can enjoy it together.
Parent: “I promise to play games with you, watch funny videos, find fun activities and places we can go visit this summer.”
Child: “I promise to stick to the online House Rules that we created to help keep me safe online.”

#2: Our passwords are private and keep us safe.
Parent: “I promise to keep our computer safe by locking it with a secret key called a password. Just like we lock our front door with a key, the computer key is only for our family and no one else.”
Child: “I promise not to tell anyone our passwords, not even my friends.”

#3: Keep our computer clean and safe.
Parent: “I promise to make sure that we have a special program running on our computer to help protect it from viruses that could break the computer and ruin all our pictures and files we have saved on there.”
Child: “I promise not to download a file without asking you first because if I download the wrong file it could break the computer.”

#4: Be kind online and don’t be a cyberbully.
Parent: “I promise to be nice to people and I want you to also. I also promise to help you if someone is being mean to you online. Just like when you’re in the school yard, on the Internet you should be nice to people and treat them like you would like to be treated.”
Child: “I promise not to tease people or call them names online just like I wouldn’t do that at school.If someone says mean things to me online, I promise I will tell you or another adult you approve.”

#5: We talk and play online only with people we know.
Parent: “Unfortunately, there are some bad people in the world and sometimes they use the Internet to try to steal files or information from our family. So, just like in the real world, I don’t want you to talk to strangers on the Internet. You should only talk to your friends. If a stranger tries to talk to you online, I want you to tell me and I promise to help you block that person from trying to talk to you again.”
Child: “I promise not to talk to strangers on the street or on the Internet and I will tell you if a stranger tries to talk to me so you can help me block them.”

For kids age 10 and up
#1: Security Software Keeps Us All Safe and Protected
Parent: “I pledge to install and keep active and up-to-date security software on all our home computers. I will also keep our computer software, browser and other Internet helper programs updated to keep us safe from security problems.”
Son/Daughter: “I promise not to download software or games/applications to our home computers without checking with you first so our home computer doesn’t get infected by a virus.”

#2: Be Kind Online
Parent: “I pledge to lead by example and show that you should treat other people the way you would like to be treated online. If you’re being bullied, here’s what you should do about it: Stop communicating with that person; Block them so they cannot reach you again; Tell me so I can help you.”
Son/Daughter: “I promise to treat other people how I would like to be treated – offline or online. I also promise to talk with you if I am being bullied by someone – offline or online. And if I see others being unkind, I will tell you as well so we can discuss what to do.”

#3: Keep Your Online Reputation Positive
Parent: “I promise to lead by example by posting comments, photos and videos that show us in the best possible light to others. I won’t embarrass you by what I do online. Our online activities create a digital reputation that is permanent.”
Son/Daughter: “I promise to be cautious about what I do and post online. I will remember to protect my future by creating a positive online reputation.”

#4: Keep Social Networking Fun and Safe
Parent: I promise to learn how to use privacy settings on social networks and show you how. I will not click unknown links or accept programs I don’t recognize.”
Son/Daughter: “I promise to add you as my friend (when I’m old enough for social networks). I will use privacy settings and limit what I say, what I post and what programs I use to keep us safe and to be nice to others.”

#5: We Avoid Online Strangers
Parent: “The Internet allows people to pretend they are someone other than who they are. I will show you how to contact people we know in the real world to keep our online activities safe and fun. And you shouldn’t talk or play with strangers unless I approve it.”
Son/Daughter: “I promise I won’t talk to strangers online (unless you say it’s ok) or to give out private and personal information about myself or ever agree to meet in the real world.”

#6: Strong People Use Strong Passwords and Never Share Them
Parent: “I promise to use strong passwords online and for our wireless router that are at least eight characters long and include numbers, letters and symbols. I will also change those passwords a few times each year.”
Son/Daughter: “I promise to use strong passwords too and not to share them with friends so we can keep our home computer and files safe.”

#7: The Internet is Fun and We Can Enjoy It Together
Parent: “I promise to play games with you, watch funny videos, find fun activities and Web sites we can share together. ”
Son/Daughter: “I promise to stick to the online House Rules that we created to help keep me safe online. I promise to spend time with you this summer exploring the Internet, playing games, watching funny videos, researching fun activities and Web sites we can visit together.”