Family Privacy

Whether shopping, paying bills, doing homework, reading the news, chatting, or surfing the web, the internet has become a daily part of our life. While the internet is a place rich in educational and entertainment for kids, teens, and the entire family, the potential risks to privacy and personal safety are real.

While surfing the Web or engaging in online communication, you and your children may come across information or images that are offensive, or share files or information that could expose you or your family to identity thieves, computer viruses, online predators or cyberbullies.

The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team offers the following basic tips to keep you and your family safely surfing the web:

Be involved

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.

Keep your computer in an open area

If your computer is in a high-traffic area, 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.

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.

Monitor computer activity

Be aware of what your child is doing on the computer, including which web sites she is visiting. If she is using email, instant messaging, or chat rooms, try to get a sense of who she is corresponding with and whether she actually knows them.

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.

Consider partitioning your computer into separate accounts

Most operating systems (including Windows, 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.

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.