I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
Internet safety... it's a big deal! Kids have a relationship with technology much earlier now, and that can be a good thing... but it can be a not so good thing, too.
Our older children, and especially one of our 9 year olds, are always wanting to use the computer, our tablet, or my cell phone. They want to be as involved with technology as I am. I do have to admit, I am nearly always connected in someway, so I understand that my children want to emulate that.
The problem is, I don't want them to get into situations that I can protect them from. There are predators out there, scouring the internet, looking for their next victim. There are things on the internet that I simply don't want them to see. Then there is also cyber bullying, which I don't want them to experience. How can we protect them from all of this when technology is such a large part of our lives?
I know as my children get older they will be more and more active on the internet, and likely become even more tech-savvy than me!
BGCA has
created a brief quiz to test your cyber smarts - click to take the Cyber Survivor Challenge Quiz .
I took the quiz... I'm a Cyber Survivor!
Although I had to go with what I "would" do for some of the questions (since my children do not have Facebook accounts or Cell phones, yet), I do feel like I will be able to protect my children to the best of my ability. They might not like it, but I prefer them to be safe.
Take a visit the CyberSafeFutures.org website and check out all the great resources to help parents learn how to keep their children more safe on the internet. There are some great tips and some great conversation starters.
How old are your children and how much are they on the internet? What do you do to help your children be safe on the internet?