June is Internet Safety Month - How Do We Protect Our Children?

Internet Safety Month

Congress passed a resolution declaring June as National Internet Safety Month. According to the resolution, 35 million US school children have Internet access and one-third of students in grades five through 12 can circumvent Internet filters. These facts pose many questions for educators as they try to best incorporate technology for teaching while at the same time keeping students safe from inappropriate web exposure.

Although school is out for the summer, many technology educators use this downtime to upgrade IT systems and review technology policies and procedures. While the internet itself remains a force to be reckoned with, using internet filtering and restriction solutions as well as educating students and faculty about the dangers of the internet is becoming a mandate in schools due to legislative and ethical concerns.

 

While no solution is 100% foolproof, there are filtering and security solutions that can be installed, web policies that can be imposed and student-safe search engines that can be utilized. Students need to be taught about internet safety –like what to do if they come across questionable online material, not to give out personal information and to use discretion on social sites.

 

In addition to network level internet filtering solutions, there is a classroom level of protection available to keep students on task with their assigned curriculum while avoiding the internet’s dark side. Classroom management software offers instructors an additional layer of protection from the Internet and works in tandem with internet filtering software.

There is no single solution to keep kids safe online. In schools, technology can be utilized to assist schools in protecting children, but more importantly, teaching our kids how to safely use the internet and to be aware of the dangers of internet predators is key.

Jenni Hilton
Marketing & PR Manager
NetSupport Software

 

"...77 million children have Internet access; one in five youth who use the Internet regularly have reported receiving a sexual approach or solicitation in the past year; and one in 17 youth reported being threatened or harassed online in the past year. Only a fraction of all unwanted Web encounters were reported to authorities such as the police, an Internet service provider, or a hotline." -  National Journal

 

Resources

Web Wise Kids

Family Online Safety Institute

UC Santa Cruz Press Release - June is National Internet Safety Month

OnGuardOnline.gov: Practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry about Internet fraud, securing your computer, and protecting your personal information.

StaySafeOnline.org: Simple steps, practices and resources to protect against cyber threats.

Don't Believe the Type: Information from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children about understanding dangers on the Internet and simple rules to avoid them. (Note: This web site is aimed at teenagers; however, the information and advice generally apply to people of all ages.)

Deter-Detect-Defend: The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) web site on identity theft.

ITS at UCSC also has a wide range of largely non-technical computer security awareness information available online.