To promote health, safety and family values, all parents understand it is important to have the talk with their children. Prior to discussing the “birds and bees”, parents should have a much earlier ongoing discussion to ensure their children understand and practice safe-internet conduct.
Perhaps because today’s parents have no personal experiences as children with the many risks of the internet, this discussion is often overlooked. While a lack of personal experience and expertise deters many parents from ever approaching this topic, there are many quality resources offering assistance.
Where to start? This excellent article, Internet Safety for Kids, explains that parents who start early can ingrain Internet safety practices just as they teach their child to look both ways before crossing the street. Although we learned from our parents the dangers of crossing the street, today’s parents need assistance to teach their children how to navigate the internet safely. The resources are available. Given the many risks facing our children on the internet today, today’s parents should have an ongoing safe-internet discussion with their children at an early age.