New Year, New Online Family

Make a resolution to stay on top of what your child is doing online

By Lynn Hargrove, Director, Consumer Solutions for Symantec (Canada) Corp.

The end of the year is upon us and the desire for change is in the air. Most of us will make resolutions, but more often than not, we don’t end up sticking to them. I’d like to change this in 2011. I’d like to challenge you this year. Make a resolution to stay on top of what your child is doing online and be involved with the management of their digital footprint. We take every step possible to protect them from dangers outside the home, but we can all be a bit more vigilant of what they are doing online.

I often hear from parents that their children are more computer savvy than they will ever be and they worry they won’t know the first thing about locking down settings and steering them in the right direction online. But it’s not that difficult. It just takes some patience. Remember how you first were when they were babies, you might not have had the best skills to feed them or to give them a bath, but you figured it out, day by day. Take the same approach for online. Do a little each day until you get comfortable. Get your children to help you out. They really get a kick out of showing you how much smarter they are than you! You’ll be building their self-esteem and learning new skills at the same time – how’s that for multitasking.

Here is a checklist:

The Talk: Open the lines of communication on what your child does online. Talk about protecting private information (name, phone number, etc.) and never sharing passwords with friends. Reinforce rules of appropriate online behaviour (language, private information, cyber ethics, illegal downloading, limiting hours of usage, and avoiding inappropriate adult sites).

Passwords & usernames: Most of us slack on this one, but this is a good reminder for parents and children alike. Having the same password for every account is not the best idea, because if one account gets comprised all your other accounts can be in danger too. Whatever password you choose, make it complex, but also know you’re going to need to change it in a few months for better protection. For usernames, pick a name that’s not identifying. You don’t want a user from one chat to find your child on another platform, especially if that user is questionable.

Location, Location, Location: Put your family computer in a place where you can see the screen. I know it sounds obvious, but it works. If you feel your child can have a computer in his or her room, make sure to stipulate the amount of time they can spend on it and when they can log on. If you wouldn’t let them be out at 2am, you probably shouldn’t let them be online at 2am. Watch for signs of obsessive or addictive online behaviours.

Checking in: Frequently check your computer’s Internet history to see the sites your child has visited. Norton Online Family can help you track the sites your child goes to, how long they spend online and what they are doing.

Protection: Install security software, such as Norton Internet Security, to protect them should they click on a link in an email or IM that is actually a virus or phishing attack. If your computer does become infected or suffers a system failure, backing up is an important part of computer usage. Make sure you have a backup solution so you and your child are not losing photos, assignments and other important documents.

Digital Footprint: Find out what information is already out there. Sites such as Spokeo.com or Pipl.com really do a comprehensive search of your information online. Test it out for yourself and for your child.

For a breakdown of what to do for every age group, check out the Family Online Safety Guide.