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Tools and Strategies

Internet Guidelines for Families

Family on Computer

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For Parents, Families, and Caregivers
  1. Place computers and tablets in shared family rooms. Establish a consistent, helpful presence when monitoring children’s and teen’s technology use that discourages the perception that adults are violating children's and teen's privacy.
  2. Be aware of children's/teen's digital activities. Initiate discussions about their online experiences.
  3. Discuss with children/teens the dangers of sharing personal information with others online and continually reinforce the importance of this guideline. Clarify the kinds of things (information and photos) that should never be shared, including names, addresses, phone numbers, names of schools, age and grade levels.
  4. Provide children/teens with opportunities for skill development and the necessary tools and resources to assess the accuracy of online content. Spend time visiting websites with children/teens and provide supervised opportunities for children/teens to practice these skills online.
  5. Instruct children/teens to immediately notify the appropriate authorities (parent or other adult family member, teacher or other school personnel, librarian, etc.) when they encounter cyberbullying or other hate behaviors online.
  6. Discuss and provide opportunities for children/teens to practice strategies for responding to cyberbullying and online bias and hate. Distinguish between immediate strategies (logging out of chat room) and long-term strategies (notifying the local ADL office or police department about information on a website).
  7. Restrict time children/teens spend online, and provide guidance for structuring online time. Limit unstructured random surfing and consistently supervise children’s/teen’s online activities.
  8. Model safe use of the Internet, avoiding potentially dangerous situations, including online romance and gambling. Children/teens are keen observers of adult behavior and will do likewise, despite warnings to the contrary.
  9. Stress personal responsibility in children/teens. Knowledge and education are key weapons against cyberbullying and other forms of hate and bias.