Category Archives: Internet Safety Tips

Dec
30
2011

 

Excerpt from Parents.com

Cyberbullying is a term applied to a wide range of hurtful behavior that occurs through the use of digital technologies. Cyberbullying may happen anywhere online and involve social networking profiles, video and image sharing websites, blogs, e-mails, and instant messaging, or can occur through cell phone texting.

The challenge with cyberbullying is that much of it happens in digital environments where no responsible adults are present. The cyberbully is usually someone the target knows, but it also can be a stranger. According to New York State’s Division of Criminal Justice Services, a few common types of cyberbullying include:

Denigration: Spreading harmful, untrue, or damaging rumors and statements online that will damage an individual’s reputation.

Exclusion: Excluding a person on purpose from an online group, considered an indirect form of cyberbullying.

Flaming: Fighting that involves sending angry, cruel, rude, and vulgar messages to one individual or several individuals in a private or public online setting.

Happy Slapping: Attacking an individual physically as a “prank” or “joke” while others film the attack or take pictures to be distributed or posted online.

Harassment: Sending an ongoing series of hurtful, insulting online messages targeted to an individual.

Impersonation: Pretending and posing as someone else, then sending or posting material online with the intent to damage an individual’s reputation.

Outing: Sending or posting material (such as message and images) online about a person that contains sensitive, private, or embarrassing information.

Text Wars/Attacks: Hounding a targeted individual with a high amount of mean text messages and emails.

Trickery: Engaging in deception to acquire embarrassing material that is then made public online.

Read more on Parents.com

 

 
Dec
29
2011

(from www.fox4kc.xom)

 

TOPEKA, Kan — A Kansas program designed to keep children safer on the web reached 56,321 kids in 2011, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today.

The Netsmartz program is available across the state from the Kansas Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs and monitored by the Attorney General’s Office. The interactive, educational program is a product of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. It uses interactive activities to teach children how to be safer online.

“Netsmartz is a wonderful program to remind all of us — children and adults — of the dangers lurking on the Internet,” Schmidt said. “Once again, our partners in the Kansas Boys & Girls Clubs have done a great job getting this message out there and helping Kansans stay safe online.”

The Attorney General’s Office began working with the Boys & Girls Club in 2006 to bring the Netsmartz program to classrooms across the state.

To learn more about the Netzsmart program call the Attorney General’s Office at (785) 296-2215 or www.netsmartz.org .

 
Dec
24
2011

 

Cyber Risk: Being Exposed to Inappropriate Content

What You Can Do: Take full advantage of safe-search filters that screen out explicit content on the search engines you use. Another option is to use kid-friendly searches such as Yahoo! Kids and www.KidsClick.org or kid-friendly browsers like KidRocket.org or SurfKnight.com. You can also set up a favorites list together to cut down on the number of searches she needs to do. But remember, no parental controls are a substitute for your supervision and her education. Discuss the idea that there are things online that are inappropriate for kids and tell your child if she ever comes across something that seems weird or makes her uncomfortable, she should click the site closed and inform the nearest adult.-Parents.com http://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/gadgets/safety-on-the-net/

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Dec
19
2011

“You never stand so tall or soar so high as when you stoop to help a child…”

 

I happened across The Good Knight Foundation by accident. Members of the organization were being interviewed about Child Safety on Jim Bohannan’s America In The Morning radio show.

But first, a little  back history about GKCEN. The Good Knight Child Empowerment Network, Inc. (GKCEN”) and the Assoication of Retired Police Officers Division works with a coalition of dedicated individuals, volunteers, businesses, organizations, and government agencies to protect children through a grassroots awareness campaign.

During their interview several powerful statements were made that I’d like to share:

*Don’t instill fear in kids. Empower them to make good choices by giving them the knowledge they need.

*Keep the lines of communication open at home. Let your kids know it’s OK to come to you with questions, fears, concerns, or problems.

*Safety knowledge is like an invisible shield that protects kids no matter where they go in life. Especially when you can’ t be there.

To listen to the interview with Jim Bohannan’s America In The Morning, go HERE.

To get some assistance with talking with your children about stranger danger, safety guidelines, and more, enlist the help of Magic Mouse and GKCEN’s DVD’s for kids.

The Super Safety Kit consists of a copy of the SuperBook of Family Safety, Volume 3 and the bilingual “ABC”s of Safety” DVD. The SuperBook covers important topics that parents and educators need to keep children safe from the negative influences that can destroy childhood innocence.http://store.goodknight.org/supersafetykit.aspx or call 1-877-812-SAFE.
 
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