By Tony Skerritt
The younger you start to train your child in home and personal security matters the easier it will all be. We have all seen on TV the security video of a kid being abducted by a stranger or doing other unsafe things that put themselves in serious danger. I am not trying to create a dangerous environment here by spreading doom and gloom and bad news. Please read this article in the manner it was intended, that is as a help tool. Read it and learn, then be aware of what is happening to your kids. Believe me, any effort to do this will be a lot easier than what you will go through if you do not exercise good basic common sense in this matter and train your kids on how to be smart with their safety. Train your kids on the following NOW.
1. The first thing to train them on is how to make a 911 call. Make sure they understand it is OK to do this and when they should do it. Many a like kid has save a parents life knowing how to do this.
2. Teach them the home emergency drills. How to get out of the house in a fire, what to do if a stranger is in the house etc. Do not frighten them with this. Just explain so they understand how to do it. Have them show you how they are going to do it so you know they can actually do it. Doing is a better learning tool that listening.
3. Children should be on the lookout for situations or actions that make them feel uncomfortable, rather than certain kinds of people. (“Stay away from strangers” is a popular warning used to prevent child abduction and exploitation, however, many children are harmed by “acquaintances.”). You need to teach them what a “stranger” is without teaching them that all strangers are dangerous. They are not by a very long way. Almost any stranger a kid walks up to if they are in trouble will help them. Only a very small percentage will be a problem and the problem ones will probably be.
4. If someone tries to take you somewhere, quickly get away f you can. Run and yell “Someone is trying to take me away!” Scream “No! No !No!”. Run to any other adult you can find and ask for help. Anyone is better than the person who is trying to take you. Run into the nearest house, shop or business. Do not knock or ask just run in and scream for help.
5. If someone follows you on foot or in a car, run to a “safe place.” A safe place is where there are other people around … the home of a neighbor or friend or a store; not a wooded area or unoccupied building.
6. Practice this with your kids and quiz them on it in a light way so they do not get upset. Just make sure they have it down and do not have to think about it.
7. If they get caught with a predator or other person who is intending to harm them then FIGHT. I personally taught my kids to go for the eyes and crotch and do it immediately they are caught. Any kid can poke an eye with a finger or use their knee if the opportunity arises. It is a very painful blow and will in all likely hood allow enough time for the kid to escape. This sounds bad, dangerous, hurtful, politically incorrect etc but do you really want to deal with the alternative. The damage done will repair itself in short time and your kid may have just saved their life.
8. Parents should always carry pictures of their children (taken within the last 6 months) and should take time every day to make a mental note regarding the clothing being worn by their children. Keep their vital stats up to date. i.e height, weight, scar’s, distinguishing marks etc.
9. Develop family check-in procedures so you always know where your child is, and your child knows where you are.
10. Learn the routes your kids use to get to school and back or friends homes. Take a walk with your kids over thee routes and point out any safety issues like alleys, drug houses, known perverts and criminals etc. You can go to the http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/ web site for listed sex offenders.
11. Help your child understand who or what a stranger is.
12. Keep a list of your children’s friends and their parents’ names and phone numbers.
What unique risks are associated with children? When a child is using your computer, normal safeguards and security practices may not be sufficient. Children present additional challenges because of their natural characteristics: innocence, curiosity, desire for independence, and fear of punishment. You need to consider these characteristics when determining how to protect your data and the child. You may think that because the child on the computer is only playing a game, or researching a term paper, or typing a homework assignment, he or she can’t cause any harm. But what if the child deletes a necessary program file? Or what if she unintentionally downloads a malicious web page that infects your computer with a virus? How do you know hwat he is doing when you are not in the room, what is he looking at, what sites is he visiting. These are just possible scenarios. Mistakes happen, but the child may not realize what she’s done or may not tell you what happened because she’s afraid of getting punished. Online predators present another significant threat, particularly to children. Because the nature of the internet is so anonymous, it is easy for people to misrepresent themselves and manipulate or trick other users (see Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for some examples). Adults often fall victim to these ploys, and children, who are usually much more open and trusting, are even easier targets. The threat is even greater if a child has access to email or instant messaging programs and/or visits chat rooms (see Using Instant Messaging and Chat Rooms Safely for more information). What can you do? 13. Be involved – Consider activities you can work on together, whether it be playing a game, researching a topic you had been talking about (e.g., family vacation spots, a particular hobby, a historical figure), or putting together a family newsletter. This will allow you to supervise your child’s online activities while teaching her good computer habits.
14. Keep your computer in an open area – If your computer is in a high-traffic area, you will be able to easily monitor the computer activity. Not only does this accessibility deter a child from doing something she knows she’s not allowed to do, it also gives you the opportunity to intervene if you notice a behavior that could have negative consequences.
15. Set rules and warn about dangers – Make sure your child knows the boundaries of what she is allowed to do on the computer. These boundaries should be appropriate for the child’s age, knowledge, and maturity, but they may include rules about how long she is allowed to be on the computer, what sites she is allowed to visit, what software programs she can use, and what tasks or activities she is allowed to do. You should also talk to children about the dangers of the internet so that they recognize suspicious behavior or activity. The goal isn’t to scare them, it’s to make them more aware.
16. Monitor computer activity – Be aware of what your child is doing on the computer, including which web sites she is visiting. If she is using email, instant messaging, or chat rooms, try to get a sense of who she is corresponding with and whether she actually knows them. Talk to them, teach them and get them to understand and do it in a manner that does not make the kid wrong or bad. Remember they have their own issues and problems they work over and stomping on their buttons only makes the kid pull away from you and stop listening. You need to be their friend on this.
17. Keep lines of communication open – Let your child know that she can approach you with any questions or concerns about behaviors or problems she may have encountered on the computer.
18. Consider partitioning your computer into separate accounts – Most operating systems (including Windows XP, Mac OS X, and Linux) give you the option of creating a different user account for each user. If you’re worried that your child may accidentally access, modify, and/or delete your files, you can give her a separate account and decrease the amount of access and number of privileges she has.
19. If you don’t have separate accounts, you need to be especially careful about your security settings. In addition to limiting functionality within your browser (see Evaluating Your Web Browser’s Security Settings for more information), avoid letting your browser remember passwords and other personal information (see Browsing Safely: Understanding Active Content and Cookies). Also, it is always important to keep your virus definitions up to date (see Understanding Anti-Virus Software).
20. Consider implementing parental controls – You may be able to set some parental controls within your browser. For example, Internet Explorer allows you to restrict or allow certain web sites to be viewed on your computer, and you can protect these settings with a password. To find those options, click Tools on your menu bar, select Internet Options…, choose the Content tab, and click the Enable… button under Content Advisor.
21. There are other resources you can use to control and/or monitor your child’s online activity. Some ISPs offer services designed to protect children online. Contact your ISP to see if any of these services are available. There are also special software programs you can install on your computer. Different programs offer different features and capabilities, so you can find one that best suits your needs. The following web sites offer lists of software, as well as other useful information about protecting children online.
22. GetNetWise – http://kids.getnetwise.org/ – Click Tools for Families to reach a page that allows you to search for software based on characteristics like what the tool does and what operating system you have on your computer.
23. Yahooligans! Parents’ Guide – http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/parents/ – Click Blocking and Filtering under Related Websites on the left sidebar to reach a list of software. We know your family’s safety is your top priority. The best way to make sure they stay safe is by talking about the points we’ve listed above. Make sure everyone in the family understands how important it is to follow the family safety guidelines. Again keep it light and non threatening. Scared kids will have you up all night with nightmares and this does not need to happen if done right. COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY. ALL PROBLEMS RESOLVE WITH COMMUNICATION, EVEN WITH KIDS.
Tony Skerritt is the owner of http://www.officialstolenlost.com, a web site to list stolen and lost property. He is a home and personal security expert.
