Now at summer’s end, kids are getting the sun out of their eyes, and shifting their brains into gear for the new school year.  Come September, you’ll find your kids either hitting the books or surfing the web.  And with kids stocking up on new school supplies, including new computers and software, it presents a clean opportunity to wring out bad web habits and review your Internet safety strategy.

Here are some handy back to school tips for students, parents and teachers brought to you by Kiwi Seminars, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing Internet safety to local communities through free multimedia seminars.

Checklist for Students

• Clean out your social network accounts.  Delete any messages or postings that you may not want your teachers, peers or parents to see. You may also choose to delete older messages and postings that are no longer relevant.

• Review privacy and security settings for your social network accounts. These websites frequently introduce new security features that users can opt for.

• Look over your contact list. This allows you to delete contacts that you no longer speak with, as well as add new friends that you’ve met over the summer.

• Discuss parental controls with your family. Are these controls strong enough to keep you safe online? Are they too restrictive for your maturity level?

• Consider establishing “code words” to use with family and friends.  Online predators sometimes pose as friends or family members to trick victims. Establishing “code words” will help ensure you are speaking to the real person.

• Reset your passwords.  Passwords should be changed every 90 days. Be sure to create a complex password at least seven to eight characters long, consisting of uppercase and lowercase letters, digits and symbols.

Checklist for Teachers

• Review the rules of online conduct.  This includes the basic rules of Internet safety, online etiquette and cyberbullying. Don’t assume that students will remember information from previous years.

• Explain classroom rules on the first day. These rules should cover the use of school computers, as well as personal devices like laptops and cell phones.

• Coordinate with parents. Make sure parents understand the school’s approach to Internet safety, which can help them create consistent rules for home as well.

• Ensure that Internet filtering and antivirus software are installed and properly configured on computers.

• Keep content age appropriate.  Using the school’s Internet filter or browser parental controls tools, you can block access to unwanted content.

• Create guidelines for avoiding digital plagiarism.  Define “digital plagiarism” and “intellectual property”, and go over how to cite sources and paraphrasing.

Checklist for Parents

• Review your child’s current Internet privileges. Decide whether it is time to increase the level of access to certain content, website and activities.

• Get back to the basics.  Review your family’s set of Internet usage guidelines, as well as terms and conditions set by services.  Ensure your child knows how to be safe, responsible and respectful online.

• Discuss the risks associated with your child’s online activities.   Go over the risks inherent in any online service (e.g., social networks, email, IM, file-sharing applications) when your child learns to use them. This includes the risks of sharing personal information, sexting, cyberbullying, child luring, viruses and spyware.

• Go over your child’s school’s acceptable Internet use policies. Before students are given access to the Internet at school, parents must agree to the guidelines by signing a consent form.  These policies can help inform your own rules for online usage at home.

• Install and update security software. Essential security tools include antivirus protection, anti-spyware, and a firewall.  Protect your computer against new threats by regularly updating your software. For the highest level of protection, set programs to update automatically.

• Decide whether to install parental control and Internet filtering software.  With an Internet filter, you can choose to block or allow websites, access to specific types of content such as streaming media, chats, games and peer-to-peer file transfers.  There are also reporting tools, which allow you to monitor your child’s web browsing and instant message conversations.  Just remember to maintain age-appropriate parental control settings.

Parents, teachers, and students should all commit to establishing an open dialogue when it comes to Internet use and safety. Kids are always on the lookout for the latest Internet trends.  Although they know what’s current, they still require the aide of parents and teachers to go over safe and healthy use of technology.  By working together, everyone can get an A+ in Internet safety.

Kiwi Seminars – If you are interested in hosting a free Internet safety seminar in your school or community centre, click here.

Sources:
1.    Hochberg, Adam. Back to school: reading, writing and internet safety. 17 September 2007. Available at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14427020.
2.    Criddle, Linda. Back-to-school and internet safety. 8 September 2008. Available at http://blog.cyberpatrol.com/?p=22.
3.    Scheff, Sue. Back to school: Internet safety and guidance counsellors. 10 August 2009. Available at http://www.examiner.com/x-19494-Broward-County-Parenting-Teens-Examiner~y2009m8d10-Back-to-school-Internet-safety-and-Guidance-Counselors

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