Tips for Parents
Safety on the Information Highway
As another school year approaches Palos Park Mayor John Mahoney and
Police Commissioner Dan Polk, both parents of pre- teens, remind parents
to be informed, be knowledgeable and vigilant about protecting your
children in the wide open world of cyberspace and social networking
sites.The Internet is a great
place to hang out. It’s fun, and lets you keep in touch with friends and
family. Cyberspace is like a big city, with libraries, universities,
museums, places to have fun, and meet people from all walks of life.
Like any community, there are some people and places you ought to avoid
and others you should approach with caution.
Teens are more likely to explore
out-of-the-way nooks and crannies of cyberspace; and, sadly, they’re
more often preyed upon as victims by child molesters and other
exploiters. By knowing the dangers and how to avoid them, you can take
advantage of all the positive aspects of the Internet while avoiding
most of its pitfalls.
Parents, Note some 2008 Internet Safety
Statistics
- 18% of youth MySpace pages
contain evidence of consumption of alcohol by minors
- 64% of teens post photos or
videos of themselves online, while more than half (58%) post
info about where they live.
- 32% of all teens and 43% of
teens active in social networking have been contacted online by
a complete stranger.
- 69% of teens regularly receive
personal messages online from people they don’t know and most of
them don’t tell a trusted adult about it
- 23% of children have had an
encounter with a stranger on the Internet, including 7% of
children who reported having met someone in the real world from
the Internet
- 79% of sexual solicitation
incidents happened to youth while they were using their home
computer
- 40% of solicitations began with
a solicitor communicating with a youth through an instant
message or IM
- 56% of solicitations contained a
request for the youth to send photographs of themselves to the
solicitor and 27% of solicitations contained a request for the
youth to send a sexual picture of themselves
Palos Park Police Department Reminds
You Be Smart Online Stay Safe in Cyberspace
It is fun, exciting and convenient to talk with others through the
Internet or your cell phone. But the fun can be wrecked if you don’t
follow safety rules. Experts say that about three-fourths of all kids
from 8 to 12 years old have the Internet at home. Safety rules may be
even more important there because school computers often have safety
tools built in.
Tips for staying safe
NEVER give out any personal
information, such as your address, phone number, or even the name
and location of your school.
Tell your parents or another trusted adult if anything online or
over your phone makes you uncomfortable.
If your parents need help, teach them how to do things online and
with other technology.
NEVER agree to meet someone you have met online unless your parents
will come along. Meet in a public place. Remember, people online or
on your phone may not be who they say they are.
Never send anyone your picture unless your parents say it is OK.
Do not put pictures of yourself on any Web sites.
Don’t put anything online that you wouldn’t want your grandmother or
a future boss to see.
Do not give out your Internet password to anyone, even your best
friends. The only people who should know it are you and your
parents. If friends pressure you to give them your password, say
your parents have told you not to do that.
Do not install any software or download any programs unless your
parents give permission.
Never do anything to hurt anyone else or to break the law.
More Cyberspace Safety Tips
- Never open attachments in an e-mail
if you are not sure who sent it.
- If your parents have set up
guidelines for what you do online or on your phone, follow those
rules. Talk to your parents about the rules to be sure you are clear
about them.
What is cyberbullying?
Have you ever been bullied? Unfortunately, almost everyone has had to
deal with a bully at some time.
Bullying is when someone uses any actions or words to try to scare,
embarrass or hurt someone.
Cyberbullying is when someone tries to hurt another person through
computer technology such as:
• E-mails,
• texting,
• instant messaging,
• chat rooms,
• gaming,
• social network sites such as MySpace or Facebook.
Cyberbullying can sometimes be even worse
than physical bullying. When cruel words or pictures get on the
Internet, they can reach thousands of people. They can be out there for
people to find for years. The victim could be hurt each time someone
forwards that message or builds on that message and sends it on.
What to do
NEVER write a mean message yourself. Do not say anything mean in a chat
room or when instant messaging. Once you say something, it’s out there
for good.
If you see a bullying message, report it. Tell your Internet service
provider, social networking site, phone company or other provider.
Report any bullying to an adult you trust: your parents, your teacher,
an aunt or uncle, a counselor or a police officer. If that person
doesn’t take care of the problem, keep reporting it to other trusted
adults until you find someone who can help
Protect Against Cyberbullying
If someone has bullied you before, do NOT open any new messages from
that person.
• You can delete any bullying
messages. But it might be a good idea to show your parents first.
They might want to show the police.
• If you see a bullying message about you or anyone else, don’t
forward it on.
• Never answer a bullying message. • Do not retaliate, or try to get
back at, the bully.
• Don’t write to anyone when you are angry. You may say something
you will regret later.
• Block any messages from someone who
makes you feel uncomfortable for any reason.
Parents think about some Facebook rules
for your children
1. They have to have you as a
”friend” on Facebook”
2 . Adhere to time limits,
3. Use privacy settings, no outside viewers
4. Always behave responsibly -- as in no trash talking,
cyberbullying, sexting, or chatting with strangers.
The bottom line is that there's a reason
that most adult social networking sites set 13 as their entry age. |
Palos Park Police Department
Remind Parents to Include Safety in Their Back-to-School Preparations
Palos Park Police Commissioner Dan Polk is
reminding parents and school leaders about the importance of talking to
kids about how to be safe on their way to and from school.
Police remind students, parents and
school officials to be aware and report anything suspicious or troubling
to law enforcement immediately.
Safety measures that could be taken
include:
- Walking or transporting your
children to school; if that is not possible, arrange for children to
travel in groups.
- If your child is walking or biking
alone, discuss the importance of awareness, not talking to strangers
and heading directly to school or home.
- Have your child check in with you
when possible.
- Avoid clothing that includes your
child's name in a prominent place; if a stranger uses your child's
name, your child might be more inclined to trust that person.
- Be sure to let the school know if
your child is going to be absent and when you expect your child to
return to class.
As in previous back-to-school seasons,
Palos Park Police will have extra patrols in the area of the schools and
will continue to work closely with principals and school district
officials to help keep our community's children safe. Motorists should
also be aware that officers will be enforcing school zone traffic laws
in an effort to prevent accidents and injuries.
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