Online Safety

Kids should be aware that it’s often wise to ask Mom and Dad for permission before sending email to a stranger. It’s just common courtesy to ask Mom and Dad about this. Besides, they’ll get a kick out of how responsible their little one is for being aware of online Internet dangers…

Here’s the rules you should follow:

• Never give your home phone number to anyone over the Internet. Believe me, Reeko knows – geeks don’t like to talk on the phone…
• Never give your home address to anyone over the Internet (this doesn’t apply to kids that live in Antartica).
• If you give out your email address online, be sure to notify your parents immediately if you begin receiving any kind of harassment from that person or if they send you anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Follow these guidelines and everything will be just fine. Remember, it may help to think of any kind of communication on the Internet as if you were talking to someone over the phone. There’s a real, live person sitting on the other side of that computer – and he may not be such a nice guy…