The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recommends this contract between parents and cyber-savvy children:
I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents' work address/telephone number, or the name and location of my school without my parents' permission.
I will tell my parents right away if I come across any information that makes me feel uncomfortable.
I will never agree to get together with someone I "meet" online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring my mother or father along.
I will never send a person my picture or anything else without first checking with my parents.
I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do, I will tell my parents right away so that they can contact the online service.
I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.
Recommended sites for families concerning Internet safety:
www.wiredsafety.org: Maintains several sites devoted to Internet safety for all ages
www.safekids.com: How to keep younger children safe online
www.NetFamilyNews.org: Kid-tech news for parents
www.StaySafe.org: Latest online safety and PC security resources www.BlogSafety.com: If you are using MySpace or any other blogging service, check this out!
www.missingkids.org: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has many safety resources for families.
www.stopcyberbullying.org: Worried by the latest news reports? Learn how to protect your family.
