Parents:  Tips for Safe Surfing

General Guidelines

·         Look for “names” you recognize and trust.  It’s just like buying something—stick with “brands” and names with which you are familiar.

·         Just because is says “Christian” doesn’t mean it promotes Christian values.

·         Avoid general “searches” in search engines.  Enter as much information in the search engine as possible to narrow your search.

·         Don’t go places by yourself you’ve never been.

Music

·         Just because it says Christian or religious doesn’t mean it promotes Christian values.

·         Most online music resources have all kinds of music, including Christian music.

Chat Rooms

·         Look for supervised chat rooms.

·         Look for rooms that require you to register and provide name and other info (so you are not anonymous).

·         Look for names you recognize (e.g. Dawson McAllister)

Email

·         Don’t give your email address out to anyone you don’t know.

·         When completing forms and submitting information about yourself, only give your email address if required, and if the site owner is someone you can trust.

·         Change your email address every few months.

Tips for Your Kid’s Internet Access

• Education - If you're a parent, use the resources on this web site, and others, to educate yourself about what's out there on the Internet.  Click here for links to some great sites with lots of information about the web.

• Principles - Many students today are "dating" on the web, people they've never seen or met, and know nothing about.  Lying and misrepresenting yourself on the net is easy!  This is a great opportunity to teach students valuable Biblical principles about character, integrity, and relationships.

• Accountability - Students need to be held accountable for their actions with regard to accessing the Internet--whether they have a problem with it or not!  Click here to see "The Internet Covenant", something you can talk over and sign with your kids that will help the Internet become a family resource.

• Accessibility - The faster the modem, the more information can be downloaded, and the chances of running up on something your child is not equipped to deal with become greater!  Keep the slower modem--you're not really missing anything.

• Limits - Many students are spending hours and hours on the Internet.  For some reason, 5 hours on the web seems like 5 minutes.  Many students with access don't know when to stop, and they end up losing valuable rest time, and even homework time, surfing and chatting.

• Protection - If your kids have access to the Internet from an Internet Service Provider (ISP) that doesn't offer filtering, or you don't have filtering software installed on your computer, you're asking for trouble!  Filtering is not perfect, but can definitely head off some potential disastrous encounters with questionable material on the net.

• Community - Know where your kids are spending their time.  You can be doing all the right things regarding the Internet at your house, but your kids' friends may not have the same restrictions.  Talk to your kids' friends' parents and share what you've learned.

• Alternatives - If this information causes you to put restrictions on Internet access for your kids, don't leave 'em hanging!  Provide alternatives for them to spend their time.

• Prevention - Change your kids' e-mail addresses often.  Change Internet Service Providers if necessary.  Move the computer to a common "public" area in the house.  Anything you can do to prevent your kids from seeing, downloading or encountering questionable content, the message is the same, "Prevention is the best medicine."

Top 5 Myths from Parents Regarding Pornography on the Internet

1.      “My child would never do that.”

Wake up!  It’s more difficult to eat a pop tart that to access porn on the Internet.

2.      “Hey, I looked at a couple of magazines when I was his age and I turned out okay.”

Wake up!  The stuff that’s available on the Internet is not just a centerfold and some funny cartoons.  There’s intercourse, oral sex, homosexuality, bestiality,

bondage, rape, instruction manuals, you name it.

3.     “We have an internet provider that blocks porn.”

Wake up!  Most kids who have played around with the Internet can break a protection service in about a day.  Also, porn sites on the Internet are constantly coming up with new ways to work around the blocking services.

4.      “My child doesn’t know how to get to porn sites.”

Wake up!  Go to a typical search engine, like www.yahoo.com and search for the word “teen”.  You will find thousands and thousands of porn sites available right before your eyes.

5.      “I have a daughter, and porn sites are designed to attract males.”

Wake up!  There are as many porn sites with all males as there are all females or all couples.