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The following guidelines have been issued by the NCTE to help children stay safe on the internet:

The following link contains some very good advice for parents, teachers and children

Webwise

The internet offers a wide range of learning and recreational opportunities for children. It provides opportunities to chat, email friends and research information across the globe. It is widely used in schools and homes as a learning tool and its educational benefits are increasingly appreciated by parents and teachers.

However!

The internet  is not controlled by any organisation and therefore there are risks involved with its use. It is understandable that every parent aor guardian has concerns about these risks especially when most children appear to be either confident users or enthusiastic explorers. Many parents openly admit that they are not as comfortable with using the Internet as their children, but are keen to understand how they can actively play a role in the protection of their children while they are online.

The risk associated with children's use of the Internet generally fall into two categories:

Contact:

Children may be exposed to people who want to harm them either on the Internet or in a face-to- face meeting.

Content:

Children can accidentally come across or receive unsuitable material, for  example, pornographic , racist, hate-based or violent content.

Be wise.....Be Active.....Be Safe

Some pracitcal steps can be taken to ensure children are safe while they are using the Internet.

Be wise......On the Net

Keep the Interenet-enabled PC in a family room

This will allow you to join your children online, discuss Interenet activities, or ask children to teach you something new.

Encourage your children to:

1. Store/ Bookmark the websites they visit in the favourites folder. Ideally these websites will have been previewed and approved by you.
2. Only use chat room that are "age appropriate". They should talk to you about the people they meet in chat room and should always stay in the public area of a chat room.
3. Avoid giving out any personal details such as name, phone number, address, school name or photo.
4. Never arrange or attend a face -to-face meeting with an online friend without the consent or presence of you or an adult you trust.
5. Report to you any invitations to meet online friends, pronography or anything that is upsetting.

Be Active .............On the Net

Filtering software can help, although it is not guaranteed to filter all unsuitable material. Refer to the www.ncte.ie/internetsafety, the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland www.ispai.ie/filter.html or www.filterreview.com to help you to make an informed decision when choosing filtering software.

Agree with your child that they will not buy anything online unless specifically requested to do so by you.

Be Safe.............On the Net

Report

Report child pornography to your local Garda station or to the ISPAI hotline www.hotline.ie or phone them on 1890 610 710.

Note: Generally, telephone charges incurred in using the Internet are at a local rate. However, some overseas sites used for downloading materials, e.g. music files, may charge international rates.

The FKBKO.net site (For Kids by Kids Online) provides information and advice for kids in order to navigate the Internet safely.