Keep Your Kids Safe Online
10 Internet Safety Tips for Parents
1.
 INTERNET ACCOUNTS, PASSWORDS AND PARENTAL CONTROLS should be held by you
2.
 MONITOR YOUR CHILD'S INTERNET USE consistently
3.
 TALK TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT YOUR INTERNET SAFETY concerns and give them the opportunity to make safety resolutions that you can both live with
4.
 AGREE WITH YOUR CHILD IN ADVANCE what can be posted to their social networking site (i.e., MySpace, Facebook, Tagged, Xanga, etc.)
5.
 FIND OUT WHAT OTHER WEBSITES your child's social networking site is linked to
6.

EXPLAIN TO YOUR CHILD that they should:

— NEVER give out personal information
— NEVER meet anyone from the online community without your permission
— NEVER open emails from unknown senders
— NEVER share their photo with strangers over the Internet.
7.
 ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO BRING ANYTHING STRANGE or upsetting to your attention and don't overreact when they do (fear of losing Internet privileges may cause them to do their surfing of the web somewhere else)
8.
 KNOW WHO THEIR ONLINE FRIENDS ARE (and who is on their buddy list), just as you would their other friends.
9.
 LEARN HOW FILTERING AND MONITORING software can assist you in protecting your children
10.
 NOTIFY THE POLICE if someone your child meets online starts calling them, sending gifts, or trying to lure them from home

Online Safety Tips for Teens
1.
 DON'T GIVE OUT PERSONAL INFORMATION about yourself, your family situation, your school, your telephone number, or your address
2.
 IN CHAT ROOMS remember that not everyone is who they say they are. For example a person claiming to be a 14-year-old female from New York may be a 42-year-old man from California
3.
 IF SOMEONE HARASSES YOU ONLINE, says anything inappropriate, or does anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, let your parents know and contact your Internet service provider
4.
 A FRIEND YOU MEET ONLINE may not be the best person to talk to about personal problems
5.
 INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS (ISP) HAVE RULES about online behavior. If you disobey an ISP's rules, your ISP may be disabled
6.
 REPORT ANY VIEWING OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY ONLINE to your parents and to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678

Resources for Parents and Teens

Darien Police Department
Routine telephone number (203) 662-5300
Detective Bureau (203) 662-5330
Website: www.darienpolice.org

Child Sexual-Exploitation Investigation Assistance
Assistance to law enforcement with child exploitation investigations.

Family Advocacy Service
Technical assistance, referrals, and crisis-intervention in cases of external exploitation.

NetSmartz Workshop
Interactive, Internet safety resource at NetSmartz.org for kids, parents, educators and law enforcement.

Legal Resources for Child Sex-Exploitation Cases
Assist and train prosecutors and investigators involved with issues of child sexual exploitations, from search-and-seizure of evidence to trial strategies.