Safety Strategies
What you can do:
Reinforce that the Internet is a public place and that you will monitor them online to increase their safety
Use filtering software
Help them find safe ways to retain their privacy (offline diary, notebook, talking to friends face-to-face)
Do not allow them to communicate in unregulated chatrooms
Explain that there is no need or urgency to respond to messages they receive
Know your child's passwords and screen names. Ensure screen names and nicknames do not identify him/her
Teach them to trust their instincts and to tell a trusted adult if someone seems weird
Explain that webcams should only be used with direct parental supervision
Explain that once a picture is sent online they lose control of what is done with it
Explain the anonymous nature of the Internet (i.e. people can pretend to be anyone)
Talk about friendship: Explain that new friendships online need to be adult supervised
Explain that s/he should never meet in person someone they first meet online without a parent or guardian
Communicate openly, listen and acknowledge feelings
Online Activities
Instant messaging (MSN, Yahoo, AIM, etc.) and email
Research, search engines (Google, Yahoo, Dogpile, etc.) and sending pictures (from digital cameras or webcams)
Music and entertainment websites
Online games and diaries
DALLAS - Shiloh Puckett is 10 years old, but this Dallas-area 4th grader already has quite a history. A credit history, that is. Shiloh has had 17 credit cards, racked up thousands of dollars on her American Express bill and been approved for a $42,000 loan.
She is deep in debt and has been since she was just five. How does a child like Puckett get those credit cards and spend all that money?
Her record is deceiving, because she is not a young criminal. Puckett’s Social Security number was stolen several years ago. She is a young victim of identity theft, one of an estimated half a million children who joined her ranks last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
It is a crime, much like adult identity theft, which is spiraling out of control.
Theft from within
approximately 400,000 children under the age of 18 have their identities stolen each year
Thieves don’t need a lot of information to open a fraudulent account. In most cases, the only information they need is a birth date, full name, and Social Security number. Children should understand the importance of keeping this information private. It shouldn’t be revealed to anyone, including friends, relatives, teacher or other trusted adults.