Saturday, July 19, 2008

How to Keep Your Kids Safe


How to Keep Your Kids Safe


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

The younger you start to train your child in home and personal security matters, the easier it will all be. We have all seen on TV the security video of a kid being abducted by a stranger or doing other unsafe things that put themselves in serious danger.
Read this article and learn, then be aware of what is happening to your kids. Any effort to do this will be a lot easier than what you will go through if you do not exercise good basic common sense in this matter. You need to train your kids on how to be smart with their safety.

Steps


  1. Teach your kids to make a 911 call. Make sure they understand when they should do this. Many kids have saved a parents life because they knew when and how to call 911.
  2. Teach them the home emergency drills; how to get out of the house in a fire, what to do if a stranger is in the house, etc. Do not frighten them with this. Just explain so they understand how to do it. Have them show you how they are going to do it so you know they can actually do it. Doing is a better learning tool that listening.
  3. Help your children be on the lookout for situations or actions that make them feel uncomfortable, rather than certain kinds of people. ("Stay away from strangers" is a popular warning used to prevent child abduction and exploitation, however, many children are harmed by "acquaintances."). You need to teach them what a “stranger" is without teaching them that all strangers are dangerous. Almost any stranger a kid walks up to if they are in trouble will help them. Only a very small percentage will be a problem and the problem ones will probably be obvious.
  4. Teach your children the following:
    • If someone tries to take you somewhere, quickly get away if you can. Run and yell "Someone is trying to take me away!" Run to any other adult you can find and ask for help. Anyone is better than the person who is trying to take you. Run into the nearest house, shop or business. Do not knock or ask; just run in and scream for help.
    • If someone follows you on foot or in a car, run to a "safe place." A safe place is where there are other people around ... the home of a neighbor or friend or a store; not a wooded area or unoccupied building.
    • If you get caught with a predator or other person who is intending to harm you, then fight. Any kid can poke an eye with a finger or use their knee if the opportunity arises. It is a very painful blow and will in all likelihood allow enough time for the kid to escape. This sounds bad, dangerous, hurtful, and politically incorrect, but the alternative is not desirable. The damage done will repair itself in short time and your kid may have just saved his or her life.

  5. Always carry pictures of your children (taken within the last 6 months) and take time every day to make a mental note regarding the clothing being worn by yourr children. Keep their vital stats up to date. i.e height, weight, scars, distinguishing marks, etc.
  6. Develop family check-in procedures so you always know where your child is, and your child knows where you are.
  7. Learn the routes your kids use to get to school and back or to and from friends' homes. Take a walk with your kids over thee routes and point out any safety issues like alleys, drug houses, known perverts and criminals etc. You can go to the http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/ web site for listed sex offenders.
  8. Keep a list of your children's friends and their parents' names and phone numbers.


Computer Safety


  1. Be involved in your child's computer activities to guard against online predators and possible viruses. Consider activities you can work on together, whether it be playing a game, researching a topic you had been talking about (e.g., family vacation spots, a particular hobby, a historical figure), or putting together a family newsletter. This will allow you to supervise your child's online activities while teaching her good computer habits.
  2. Keep your computer in an open area, so you will be able to easily monitor the computer activity. Not only does this accessibility deter a child from doing something she knows she's not allowed to do, it also gives you the opportunity to intervene if you notice a behavior that could have negative consequences.
  3. Set rules and warn about dangers - Make sure your child knows the boundaries of what she is allowed to do on the computer. These boundaries should be appropriate for the child's age, knowledge, and maturity, but they may include rules about how long she is allowed to be on the computer, what sites she is allowed to visit, what software programs she can use, and what tasks or activities she is allowed to do. You should also talk to children about the dangers of the internet so that they recognize suspicious behavior or activity. The goal isn't to scare them, it's to make them more aware.
  4. Keep lines of communication open - Let your child know that she can approach you with any questions or concerns about behaviors or problems she may have encountered on the computer.
  5. Consider partitioning your computer into separate accounts - Most operating systems (including Windows XP, Mac OS X, and Linux) give you the option of creating a different user account for each user. If you're worried that your child may accidentally access, modify, and/or delete your files, you can give her a separate account and decrease the amount of access and number of privileges she has. If you don't have separate accounts, you need to be especially careful about your security settings. In addition to limiting functionality within your browser, avoid letting your browser remember passwords and other personal information. Also, it is always important to keep your virus definitions up to date.
  6. Consider implementing parental controls - You may be able to set some parental controls within your browser. For example, Internet Explorer allows you to restrict or allow certain web sites to be viewed on your computer, and you can protect these settings with a password. To find those options, click Tools on your menu bar, select Internet Options..., choose the Content tab, and click the Enable... button under Content Advisor.
  7. Contact your ISP to see if any of protective services are available. There are also special software programs you can install on your computer. Different programs offer different features and capabilities, so you can find one that best suits your needs.


Tips


  • When a child is using your computer, normal safeguards and security practices may not be sufficient. Children present additional challenges because of their natural characteristics: innocence, curiosity, desire for independence, and fear of punishment. You need to consider these characteristics when determining how to protect your data and the child.
  • Online predators present another significant threat, particularly to children. Because the nature of the internet is so anonymous, it is easy for people to misrepresent themselves and manipulate or trick other users (see Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for some examples). Adults often fall victim to these ploys, and children, who are usually much more open and trusting, are even easier targets. The threat is even greater if a child has access to email or instant messaging programs and/or visits chat rooms.


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