|
| |
Internet Safety: Guidelines for Teens and Adults
The Internet can be a place for learning and for having
fun. It can also be a dangerous place if you do not use common sense at the same
time you are using the Internet. There are sites and people you should avoid.
Chat rooms are sometimes used by people who want to harm others.
We take Internet safety very seriously at school and urge you to do the same at
home. The guidelines for teens and for parents printed below were adapted from
the publication Red Flags and
Resources which was published as a joint effort of Emerson Hospital,
Westford Public Schools and school systems in eight neighboring communities.
Guidelines for Teens
 |
Never enter information about yourself
online without first checking with your parents. Never include home address,
telephone number, school, photographs or passwords.
|
|
Never go alone to meet someone you know only
from the Internet. Any meeting should be in a public place with a trusted
adult present.
|
|
Don't tell anyone anything online that you
would not want others to know.
|
|
If you are made uncomfortable in a chat
room, leave it. Don't put up with rudeness, bullying, or provocative chat.
|
|
Report threatening, harassing, or abusive
messages or pictures to your parents. |
|
Do not answer threatening or obscene emails
or chat room messages.
|
|
Never download anything unless it is from a
trusted source. Do not click on anything in an email unless it is from
someone you know.
|
Guidelines for Adults
|
Supervise use of the Internet. Place the
computer in a common area of the house where adults are able to monitor its
use.
|
|
Set reasonable expectations for online
behavior. Tell you teen never to respond to threatening of obscene messages.
|
|
Talk with your teen about online interests
and friends and ask to see the sites she/he visits. |
|
Harassment is a crime. If you teen receives
obscene or threatening messages or pornography contact your Internet service
provider and the police.
|
|
Consider installing filtering software to
block unwanted messages and access to objectionable sites. Remember that no
filtering software is 100% foolproof. No software can replace talking to
your teen. |
|