If you have children and access to the Internet, you need to educate and arm yourself to protect them against the many dangers that they can and likely will encounter. The Internet is a particular danger to children because often the kids know more about the technology than the parents. This leads to situations where the parent is either unaware of the dangers or where the parent takes some steps to protect the children, which are easily circumvented by a tech-savvy kid. The natural curiosity and rebellious nature of kids, combined with greater technical knowledge, means parents are at a disadvantage. Unlike other forms of rebellion, such as partying in the basement or sneaking out at night, you do not have the benefit of having tried these tricks and getting caught by your parents. The Internet is an entirely new game, and your children are the first generation of kids to have access to it. This chapter outlines some of the dangers or inappropriate web activity kids might encounter and steps that you can take to protect them. |