7 Mistakes Parents Make Regarding Their Kids And The Internet

These days a lot of parents know the problems that can arise in letting their children spend unsupervised time on the internet. But if their kids have their own computers and hide away in their rooms chatting and surfing online, parents aren't always aware of exactly what their online time is doing to their emotional lives.

Many of you parents just don't have the time to look over the shoulder at all of your child's online activities. In many of today's families both parents are bringing in an income, plus once you are through with their work day there are home projects and daily needs to be met, such as preparing meals, washing laundry, or just relaxing after a long day. So it is easy to let your child go into his or her room and spend the entire evening online in privacy, leaving you to enjoy some peace and quiet. But that "peace" can be the forerunner to tragedy, or at the least, an emotionally traumatized son or daughter.

These are seven mistakes parents may make in regards to their son or daughter's internet connections:

1. Assume that since all contact is made simply by way of a computer, your children can't be hurt by anyone online. It's a terrible delusion to assume this. Besides the possibility of being emotionally scarred by what they may find online, but there have also been instances in which a child has been willing to meet up with someone in person whom they have met online, which could lead to tragedy.

2. Allow your kids to be alone with their computers. Most young adults don't want their parents to know their private thoughts and who they chat with online and adults would like to offer them some privacy in that respect. But as the guardian of your child, it is your responsibility to guard your child from the threats of cyber bullying, pornographic material, sexual predators disguising themselves as children online and the many other dangers that can be found there.

3. Ignore the dangers to be found online. I think a lot of parents either assume their children already know about the dangers to be found online or they don't think they are that bad enough or worthy of discussion. Take the time as a parent to emphasize the dangers of visiting sites that are sexually explicit, and explain the dangers of giving anyone personal information online such as an address or phone number. Your child should be able to come to you if he or she is upset by anything seen on their computer. They need to understand that grownups with bad intentions will sometimes disguise themselves as young children to win their confidence.

4. Assume that no one would want to hurt your child by deliberate online bullying. Children can be very cold-hearted to each other even if it's unintentional. The bullying has been known to go further than schoolyard trouble, becoming cyberspace intimidation - telling lies about, or circulating pictures of your son or daughter by way of emails and other avenues. Again, make sure your child knows he or she can come to you with issues related to online bullying. You as a parent should save any validation of the bullying and report the abuse to your online service provider, email provider or website host.

5. Assume that everyone online is who they say they are. Sexual predators will get to your child any way they can. They might promise great presents, trips to "paradise", or even simply affection and validation that the child feels is lacking in his or her own life. He could even pretend to be a child the same age as yours. He may give out a completely made up name, address, and anything else about himself in his attempts to get your child to give him personal information as well. Make it clear to your children that not everything they read online is the truth.

6. Believe there isn't any means of keeping track of what your child is doing online. Several software programs exist now to record how your child is spending his or her online time. These will be totally unknown to your child and will keep track of everything your child writes and reads, and will also take pictures of what your child is looking at. This may seem like an invasion of your child's privacy, but it could also prevent something tragic from happening to your child.

7. Allow your child to set up a computer in his or her own room. Without tracking software, you will have no idea of what your child is doing online and how many hours of each day is taken up by their computer habit. Your son or daughter could be up all night online and you would never know. Keeping the computer in a family area will help you monitor what is on the screen and limit the time spent there.

Computers and modern technology have opened up a whole new world for kids of all ages. But as with everything, there are possible threats along the way. By being careful, parents can keep their children away from the dangers that lurk online.