What are the risks?

• Inadvertent exposure to inappropriate images or content.
• Solicitation by sexual predators in chat rooms and by email.
• Online bullying or harassment.
• Piracy of software, music or video.
• Disclosure of personal information.
• Spyware and viruses.
• Excessive commercialism: advertising and product-related websites.
• Illegal downloads, such as copyright-protected music files.

General safety tips

• If you suspect a paedophile may be grooming or trying to befriend your child or your child is being stalked or harassed, contact the Virtual Global Task Force or contact your local police.
• Set ground rules for children.
• Use Internet content filtering and spam filters (see Stop unwanted email) to reduce the risk of accidental exposure to unwanted content.
• Set up shared computers properly to restrict what children can do (see Sharing a home computer).
• Consider setting up a family e-mail account which can be used specifically to register for websites, competitions etc.  
• Be careful about peer-to-peer file sharing (see Be careful with peer-to-peer file sharing).

Software tools

Software tools are available that can help filter out sexual images, monitor children’s online activity, limit the amount of time your child spends online and even block their ability to send out personal information. 

Remember that software tools for filtering aren’t foolproof. You need to combine them with proper supervision and effective communication.

• Some ISPs, such as MSN and AOL, offer parental controls which can monitor, restrict and report on children’s use of the internet.
• Buy or download tools that:
  • Filter out sexual images.
  • Monitor children’s online activity.
  • Limit the amount of time your child spends online.
  • Block their ability to send out personal information.
  • Browsers that are specially designed for children.
• For a full list and more details see GetNetWise and see Internet content filtering.

Monitor children’s use of the internet

Microsoft Internet Explorer keeps a record of recently visited sites and also makes temporary copies of web pages for short-term storage.

• To see recently visited sites, click on the History button or press Ctrl and the H key.
• To see temporary files, open Internet Explorer and select Internet Options, on the General tab under Temporary Internet Files, click the Settings  button and the click View Files.

However, a technically-minded user can erase these records quite easily. Consequently, you may need to buy specific monitoring software (see Software Tools, above).

Use child-friendly search engines and portals

• Surf Safely.
• Yahoo!’s web guide for kids.
• Ask Jeeves Kids.

Enable content filters on regular search engines

• Ask Jeeves: Use options for Content Filtering on the Your Settings page or try Ask Jeeves For Kids.
• Google: See the SafeSearch help page for instructions on setting up filtering on a permanent or as-needed basis.
• MSN Search: Use the Safe Search Filter on the Settings page.
• Yahoo!: Set the SafeSearch Filter option via the Search Preferences page.

Use chat rooms and instant messaging with care

• Choose child-friendly or moderated chartrooms.
• Learn the language of chatrooms and log on yourself so you know how it works.

The following advice can be shared with your children in the context of a wider discussion about using the internet (see Set ground rules for children).

• People aren’t necessarily who they say they are online. Be careful who you trust.
• It’s best not to meet people in person if you have only ‘met’ them online before.
• Keep personal information secret. This includes: name, address, phone numbers, email addresses, pictures or school information.
• Make sure your profile doesn’t include any personal information.
• You can walk away from an uncomfortable or unpleasant conversation simply by logging out.
• Talk to your parents or carers if you feel uncomfortable online.
• Be especially careful about private chat messages.
• Use a nickname, not your real name.
• If you use instant messaging, don’t accept messages from people you don’t know; don’t add people to your buddy list unless you know them personally.

You may also want to learn how to do the following and teach your children to:

• Report anything disturbing to chartroom providers or moderators.
• How to block or ignore certain people in chat rooms.
• Save or print a copy of a conversation in case you need to report it.

The ThinkUKnow website can help teach children how to use chat safely.

• Also read our instant messaging guidance for grown-ups (see Use instant messaging safely).

It is also possible for children to chat online using mobile phones and in online games. Explain to them that the same rules apply to any chat or instant message system. See Chatdanger.com which gives good advice about a range of interactive services which children and young people use.

Online bullying

Bullying online is increasingly common but it is horrible for victims who are harassed by email, text message, online chat or even by defamatory websites.

• If your child tells you they are being bullied, listen and react with sympathy. Explain that bullying is wrong and that seeking help is the right thing to do.
• Don’t reply to any bullying messages they receive but do keep a record of every message.
• Look into methods of blocking these messages.
• Talk to your child’s school or if your child is being stalked or harassed go to the local police.
• See StopTextBully.com for more information on bullying using mobile phones