Courtesy of your Wauconda Police Department

Today, our children have computers available to them at home, school and even at public libraries. Parents are often surprised to find that their children have experienced various online services and are expert "surfers" of the World Wide Web.  The Internet can be a valuable and entertaining resource for families, but it can also allow your children to be exposed to things that are inappropriate and people that would like to do them harm.  Parents need to educate themselves in order to protect their children from the dangers that exist online.

The following websites can assist you in preparing yourself
and your children for a safe online experience*:

  • WWW.CHILDRENSPARTNERSHIP.ORG: The Parents' Guide to the Information Superhighway and other Tips and Resources
  • WWW.CYBERANGELS.ORG: Volunteers dedicated to online safety and an Online Safety Quiz for kids
  • WWW.ENOUGH.ORG: Promotes children's online safety and opposes children's access to certain types of websites
  • WWW.MISSINGKIDS.ORG:  The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Website        - Also has a Cybertip line for child exploitation and child pornography
  • WWW.MISSINGKIDS.COM:  The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's Awareness Campaign covers safety for kids online and everywhere.
  • WWW.SAFEKIDS.COM:  Tips, Guidelines and articles on online safety for kids
  • WWW.SAFETEENS.COM:  Safekids.com's website for teens
  • WWW.ADEQUATE.COM:  Independent ratings of websites and instructions on web browser settings to prevent access to certain websites
  • SUPPORT.MICROSOFT.COM:  Provides information on Internet Explorer's Content Advisor feature and PICS
  • HELP.NETSCAPE.COM:  Provides information on Netscape's NetWatch feature
  • WWW.RSAC.ORG:  The Internet Content Rating Association - provides PICS-based ratings on websites and how to enable PICS-based filtering on browsers
  • WWW.SAFESURF.COM:  An independent Ratings Organization for websites
  • WWW.W3.ORG:  The World Wide Web Consortium -developers of the PICS system - Frequently asked Questions about PICS
  • WWW.SMARTPARENT.COM:  Family resource page for online safety and online concerns - Includes information filtering programs

T he best way to learn about the Web is together. If your children are Web literate, ASK THEM TO SHOW YOU AROUND!  They will love teaching Mom and Dad about the Internet and chat rooms and everything else that they enjoy! Establish Rules and discuss what your children should do if they encounter someone online that makes them feel "funny" or "uncomfortable."

Most of all, MAKE SURE THAT YOU MONITOR YOUR CHILDREN WHILE THEY ARE ONLINE! Keep the home computer in a family area and utilize Software, Browser and Internet Provider Safeguards.  

* This list was compiled from WWW.GETNETWISE.ORG to assist you, we can not guarantee that these sites are available or have accurate information.