FACSAFOUNDATION.ORG SHATTERING THE SILENCE TOUR DOCUMENTARY PROJECT Volume 2 January 2015 | Page 18
screen is easily visible. Even when the computer is in a public area of
your home, sit with your child when they are online.
When your children are young, they should share the family email
address rather than have their own email accounts. As they get older,
you can ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to set up a separate
email address, but your children's mail can still reside in your
account.
Tell your children to never respond to instant messaging or emails
from strangers. If your children use computers in places outside your
supervision-public library, school, or friends' homes-find out what
computer safeguards are used.
If all precautions fail and your kids do meet an online predator, don't
blame them. The offender always bears full responsibility. Take
decisive action to stop your child from any further contact with this
person.
How can your kids reduce the risk of being victimized?
There are a number of precautions that kids can take, including:
Never downloading images from an unknown source-they could be
sexually explicit.
Using email filters.
Telling an adult immediately if anything that happens online makes
them feel uncomfortable or frightened.
Choosing a gender-neutral screen name that doesn't contain sexually
suggestive words or reveal personal information.
Never revealing personal information about themselves (including
age and gender) or information about their family to anyone online
and not filling out online personal profiles. For more specific rules,
see How to help your kids use social websites more safely.