Parents should help children explore the positive opportunities the Internet offers them, and reduce the risks to which they may be exposed.- File

The Internet provides a wealthy and immediate source of information that kids and adults alike will soon become addicted to. Imagine having all your questions answered immediately and completely without having to move an inch or wait a minute!

But, as parents, we need to ensure that such an information flow does not hurt our children or prejudice their development in any way.

At the recent parenting seminar held by the Churches Co-operative Credit Union, Patrice Samuels, chief executive officer of Rescue Caribbean, noted that her research showed that many children say they had been exposed to pornography while surfing. It also revealed that some children will meet with the strangers they are introduced to online.

The annual Churches Co-operative Credit Union's Parenting Forum was held under the theme, 'Parenting in A Technologically Aggressive Environment'. It was held on May 27 at the Hilton hotel.

search history

According to Ms Samuels, parents should be aware that some children are quite skilled in erasing their tracks. It is a fact that children between the age of nine and 18 often delete the search history from their browsers in an attempt to protect their privacy from their parents

Parents should be aware that using common filtering software (which blocks undesirable sites) may not be effective, as children may access what they are looking for elsewhere - at a friend's house, an Internet café, or school. And if the child accesses dangerous material outside of the home, parents will be unprepared and uninformed when it happens,

Patrice Samuels notes that many parents are not as media-literate as they could be. "They don't have a handle on using popular online software and chat programmes, and tend to have no clue about what is really happening online."

The consequence is that parents don't know what their children are doing on the Net, in the same manner that they don't know what goes on at class, parties, or clubs.

While parents should give their children the tools to be literate Internet users, they should also make the effort to equip them to navigate around any potential dangers.

"Parents need to talk to their children," stated Ms Samuels.

"The child needs similar tools that teach him/her to be wary of dangers in the park, the mall or wherever. The same rules in the real world apply online as well.

"Under no circumstances should a child ever give strangers his/her private information over the Internet, or meet unsupervised with strangers."

Internet encounters

Children should also be encouraged to tell their parents about Internet encounters that make them uncomfortable. Talking with your children regularly is important.

At the same time, parents should not disregard the advantages of the Internet.

According to Patrice Samuels, "We tend to forget that it offers our children a source of independence, a way to explore the world, and helps them meet friends whom they could not meet in their real world. As parents, we need to help them explore the positive opportunities the Internet offers them, and to reduce the risks."

Websites that parents should know and check upon the accounts that their children might have on them include:

HI5.com

Facebook.com

MySpace.com

Youtube.com

http://www.teenchatdecoder.com/

Keep track of your child's instant messaging activities on msn.com and yahoo.com. You should also learn acronyms such as lol (laugh out loud) and brb (be right back).

Information from Patrice Samuels provided by Churches Co-operative Credit Union.