Internet Safety for Children

A couple of days ago, I received a Facebook friend request from one of my students.  I've never had this "issue" before because I usually teach very young children.  However, time flies and these once-very-young children have entered an age when they start to become interested in online social media. They are curious about the Facebook, Twitter or blogspots where they can leave comments about the lives of their friends and of their own.

We all know how great these social channels are; we have used them to reconnect with long-lost friends, or chat in real time with family members overseas. BUT, we have also heard from the news how youngsters are bullied by online messages and actions. We understand how this mean of social media can destroy relationships as easily as it can construct them.

As parents and teachers, do we have a clear position on this issue? Have we strategies to deal with ad-hoc matters which may come up one day when our children communicate through online social media? I'd like to share a few sources to get us all thinking about tihs very important issue.

Firstly, let's start with a video from the Dadlabs, it brings forth this issue in a leisure manner. It will also suggest a few safe social websites that are suirtable for children.  Hopefully, it will make you ponder a bit after watching the video.

Social Media and Your Children



A recent article from the CNN.com concerning Kids' safety online:

BBC's child-friendly website that teaches your children how to surf smartly on the internet:

Government site for both PARENTS and EDUCATORS

FBI - Parent Guide to Internet Safety
Here's an introduction to a free online safety video you can download from the CEOP Resouce Area (You may find videos for all ages)

Lee and Kim's Magical Adventure (suitable for ages 4-7)