What Parents Need To Know To Keep Kids Safe Online (NAPSA)—Even if you don’t allow your kids to use the Internet or join social networks, most can and will get access elsewhere. There’s one place your child can access it: school. U.S. Department of Education data indicates that 100 percent of U.S. public schools are now connected. So what do you need to know to protect your children’s online safety? You can check out these helpful tips from the co-founders of socialshield.com: 1. Connect. Sit down with your children and explore the sites they want to be on. Read the privacy policies. Check out the site’s features and members. 2. Only Share With Friends. Remind your children to review their account privacy settings to make sure they’re only sharing their profile and pictures with people they know. 3. Password 101. When your children set up an account, make sure they pick a secure password that’s easy for them to remember but difficult for others to figure out. Write down your child’s passwords, in case you should ever need to access his or her accounts. 4, Protect Personal Info. Tell your children to never share their full name, age, address, phone numbers or school name on the Internet, even if they think only their “friends” can see this information. 5. “Friend” Review. Review your children’s friend lists to make sure you approve. It’s good to know whotalks to them online. 6. Never Meet Face to Face. Tell your children to never accept The Internet is an amazing resource; it’s educational, entertaining and a great way to connectwith all sorts of people from aroundthe globe. an invitation to get together with someone they metonline. 7. Be a Photo Editor. Make sure your children are selective about what photos they post online. Warn them of the permanence of content on social networking sites. If they post a photo, commentor video,it is there forever. 8. Be Mum About Money. Make sure your children don’t give personal financial information, such as bank account num- bers, to anyone they meet. 9. Play Defense. Tell your children to listen to their gut and report any behavior that makes them uncomfortable. 10. Be Download Dubious. Tell your children to be careful about what they download and warn them to never open files from a strangesite or e-mail address. SocialShield gives parents affordable, easy-to-use tools to help them protect their kids’ Internet safety. For more information, visit www.socialshield.com.
