The report surveyed 2,800 kids worldwide about cybercrime and uncovered some interesting findings. Did you know that 24 percent of kids have lied about their age on social networking sites? 18 percent have given another name.   From the survey, 63 percent of New Zealand kids reported experiencing a negative online experience, yet only 45 percent of parents think their kids have had a negative experience online.

According to the report, the good news is that children actually want more parental involvement in their online lives. The majority state they would like to turn to their parents for support and advice when things go wrong.  Children are setting their own rules for acceptable online behaviour. These rules include not bullying or harassing people online, not passing on embarrassing photos or posts about others, telling parents if they or others are being bullied, and not saying or doing things online that they wouldn’t do in an offline world.

There is an important role for parents to play by increasing their understanding of the Internet, the role it plays in their children’s lives, and the experiences their children are having online. In short, children need ‘parenting’ online as much as they do in their offline lives.
 
So what can parents do to ensure their children’s online safety?

TECHNOLOGY
• Parents should make sure that:
• Internet security software is installed
• they teach children to check their Internet security software and say if it’s not working or has expired
• parental controls are set to filter out adult content
• Parents can check what sites their children visit by using the History button on their web browser

TALKING
Parents need to involve children in setting family rules. Explaining why you don’t want children to
access certain material is more positive than simply blocking sites. Similarly, say why you’d feel better about monitoring their activity rather than prying without discussion. Talking about your online experiences will help children see the bigger picture and how their behaviour impacts the whole family.

SOCIAL NETWORKING SAFETY TIPS
• Tell children only to add friends they know and not add ‘friends of friends’
• Have your children add you as a friend so you can see who their friends are
• Make sure your child tells you if someone online wants to meet them in person
• Always go with your child if you agree for them to meet a peer in real life

LISTENING
Children need to know that they can rely on parents to always be there for them. So be ready to listen and help and support. Watch out for changes in emotions and encourage your children to talk.

PHONES
Parents also need to aware of the online risks to children via their cellular phones and should:
• regularly check phone bills and account activity
• make sure phones are left and charged in a family room, not taken into bedrooms at night.

DON’T BAN ACCESS
Make sure children know the consequences of not sticking to your family’s rules, but do not ban access to their favourite technologies. They will only seek access elsewhere and become emotional in the process

**All data courtesy of the Norton Online Family Report June 2010
Copyright 2010 Symantec Corporation

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