Internet Safety - Protect Your Children
The Internet is easily accessible to anyone with a computer and a network connection. We can reach any point on the network without regard to national or geographic boundaries or time of day.
The Internet exposes children to a whole new world which can contribute greatly to their education and can be very enjoyable.
In our dynamic technological world where knowledge is power, parents want their children to surf the Internet, and learn as much as they can. With this wish there is also the desire to ensure our children safety on the Internet.
The Internet is a virtual world that represents the good and the bad of the real world. When our children surf the Internet they are exposed to both. Not all the content out there is appropriate for children (of course, what may be acceptable and allowed in one family may be forbidden in another). In the Internet boundaries are vague or non-existant. This is different from the real world were usually there are physical boundaries and restrictions preventing children from engaging in activities not suitable for their age.
As result, children can be expose to a lot of material that is not appropriate and even damaging. For example, in the real world children would not be allowed into clubs that offers sex shows; they would be stopped ,in most cases, by the bouncer at the door. The case is diffrent in the virtual world. On the Internet children can enter pornographic websites with no difficulty at all.
Since this generation of children possesses high technological skills, the main problem that parents face is the need to create boundaries for their children in a virtual world. The following sections strive to give parents a better understanding of the experience that children have when surfing the Internet and the risks involved in it. This information enables parents to ensure their children safety on the Internet.