Children 4-8

They’re smart. They’re curious. They’re born in a time where all this technology is the norm. You must arm yourself with the proper tools to ensure that they learn safety at a very early age….

We’ve collected the following tools to help you understand and introduce the internet and the dangers of playing in cyberspace to your young child.

Usually at this age, surveillance isn’t necessary, but education teaching the good and bad of the internet are integral for the years to come.


Young Children and The Internet
Technology is growing by leaps and bounds, and, as a result, children are learning how to use what’s available to them when they are young. Very young. While the Internet is an incredible source of information -- and entertainment -- it can be dangerous. As a parent, keeping your kids safe is one of your primary responsibilities and, these days, online safety is extremely important.

How young is too young to begin teaching your littlest learners about the dangers of the Internet? The answer is simple: as soon as your child is capable of getting online, you need to take steps to protect and educate them.

The Community Computer
"Where your child accesses the Internet is extremely important" says Michael Ungar, Ph.D., a university research professor and author of "The We Generation: Raising Socially Responsible Kids". He feels that children under nine or 10 years old should not have computers in their rooms. Besides the obvious, Dr. Ungar notes, "Developmentally, young children are more oriented toward wanting to engage with their parents. This is a good thing! If you carefully arrange the computer in a community room where there is constant contact and flow-through, you’re much more likely to notice something improper."

Age-Appropriate Information
With children as young as five surfing the 'net, it’s important to discuss the awful things online predators can do. At the same time, your five-year-old is not ready for an in-depth discussion about pedophiles.

So what do you do?

"Children learn from age-appropriate episodic situations. They need concrete examples" says Dr. Ungar. "Sometimes parents give too much information and young kids don’t understand it." Talk to your five-year-old as exactly that: a five-year-old. Tell him/her that sometimes strange things can happen on the Internet, like seeing pictures of naked people. Dr. Ungar suggests to say it fairly lightly and ask, "That would be kind of weird, wouldn’t it?" They’ll likely giggle, as a five-year-old would. Tell them that if something like that happens, he/she needs to tell you right away because that’s just strange and it's something Mom needs to know. You can be general and teach safety at the same time.

Rules, Rules, Rules
While setting ground rules for Internet usage may seem obvious, it’s very important not to overlook the simple. Think about the things that your little one might not: sharing his/her last name, phone number, address, teacher’s name or where he/she goes to school. Dr. Ungar suggests that you tell your child that the strangers on the computer are just like the strangers at the grocery store. When Mom or Dad aren’t around, it’s not safe to talk to them. And it's never safe to give them personal info.
Internet safety is extremely important and failing to discuss it is as remiss as failing to teach your child about stranger danger. Start simple and keep the conversations going as your child grows.

K.I.S.S. Helping You Teach Your Young Child
We have done all the work for you! Just as Dr. Unger suggests, teaching your young child simple lessons without flooding them with too much information is very important. Also, teaching them in ways that children understand is very important as well.

As you can imagine, internet safety for children is a problem worldwide and especially in North America. In the US, many government institutions have partnered up to create a resource centre that helps schools and communities guide young children using the internet. One of the most successful tools they’ve created is a cartoon character named “FauxPaw; the Techno Cat”; who gets into trouble while playing online but always learns his lessons. Here you’ll find the first instalment book, some worksheets and discussion guides used by some teachers to introduce internet safety to their young students. The book is written in a way that young children can enjoy but most importantly that they can understand. The lesson is simple and clear, the story is quick and interesting and the follow-up discussions and worksheets emphasize the lesson learned in the book without frightening the children.





 
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