I learned a valuable lesson this weekend that I knew I had to share.
My husband has been in the IT field for nearly 20 years and I also work online. You’d think that we would have a handle on our internet security, but this weekend discovered we were wrong.
We allow our sons to have a computer in their playroom because again, we thought we had the internet restricted enough that they couldn’t get to anything questionable for kids. They are 8 & 10 years old and have been online since they were 2. My oldest built the computer he is using after we bought him all the parts for Christmas. He knows his technology and we thought he knew the rules.
Saturday evening my husband went upstairs to the playroom to find my 10-year-old on the internet at a site called Oegle. The site says “Talk to Strangers” right on it because it is an anonymous CHAT site. We’ve allowed our son to chat on Minecraft with friends and family and we truly thought he knew not to talk to strangers. Thankfully we regularly check up on our boys when they’re online and we caught him.
As a result we have locked down our internet even further and will continue to check where he goes and even what is typed. He has been told of the dangers of chatting and now both boys are scared that someone will come to the house and kidnap them if they chat. Yes that is extreme, but I will do whatever I have to to protect my babies. This is scary and serious stuff!
I wanted to share this story with you in hopes that if you don’t already, you will watch your children closely when they’re on the internet. There are so many great websites that give tips on how to best protect your kids. Here are a few of my favorite links:
Keeping Kids Safe on the Web
Online Predators
IM & Chat Rooms
Tips for Parents
The internet has so much to offer for growing children that it’s sad that we have to go to such great lengths to keep bad people away from them. The bottom line is that as parents we have to do what’s best in our situation to protect our children. It’s our responsibility as a parent and we owe it to our kids.
Photo courtesy of paul.klintworth on flickr.
That is really scary! I was a teenager when the internet was first becoming popular and I cringe to think of the people I talked to. It’s so important to teach kids to stay safe online, but even then, sometimes they don’t listen!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies´s last post ..How to Make Vegetable Broth (With Kitchen Scraps!)
I have our computers out in the living room so that we can monitor what the kids are doing when they are online.
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It is sooooo scary! We had a really scary situation happen when my kids were in high school and because I was watchful, like you, we caught it too. The whole privacy line is ok to cross when it comes to their safety on the internet!
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell´s last post ..In Spite of Myself, I LOVE the Surface! #WindowsChampion
It’s good that your husband noticed this. It is quite scary out there and I’m glad to hear you are doing what you need to keep your children safe. I plan to keep our computer in the living room until my kids graduate high school. :)
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There’s so many things that kids are exposed to on the Internet, they need to be protected. The precautions you are taking with your children are great. I can imagine you have some sort of filter installed, if not I invite you to check out saintapp, a software that blocks inappropriate content such as pornography. http://www.saintapp.com
There’s definitely a lot to consider these days with raising kids! It sounds like you are finding that balance between giving your kids the technology skills and experience they will need, while teaching them good lessons about keeping their private information safe. (Which, honestly, I think a lot of adults using computers could use too, LOL!!)
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I would rather be safe than sorry when it comes to my kids. Even when we think that kids know the rules sometimes they do things we don’t expect.
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oh gosh, thank goodness you keep tabs on them. my oldest is 7 and she has friends with internet in their bedrooms. to her disappointment, she’s not going to have internet in her room, ever. its so risky. i’d rather they be where i can keep a close eye on things. i don’t blame you for scaring them- i’d do the same. i’d rather they hate me for being protective and here to hate me
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