Parental Controls
Encourage your kids to tell you if they feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something they discovered online. Then report it right away to the police and the social networking site. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires websites to obtain parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under age 13. In the event that we learn that we have collected personal information from anyone under the age of 13, we will delete that information as quickly as possible. If you believe that we might have any information from anyone under the age of 13, please contact us at your soonest convenience using the Contact World Football Book links made available throughout the website.
Protecting Your Children on Social Networking Sites
While social networking sites can increase a person's circle of friends, they also can increase exposure to people with less than friendly intentions. Here are tips for helping your kids use social networking sites safely:
- Help your kids understand what information should be private.
- Explain that kids should post only information that you — and they — are comfortable with others seeing.
- Use privacy settings to restrict who can access and post on your child's website.
- Remind your kids that once they post information online, they can't take it back.
- Talk to your kids about avoiding sex talk online.
- Tell your kids to trust their gut if they have suspicions. If they ever feel uncomfortable or threatened by anything online, encourage them to tell you.
Social Networking Safety
Social networking sites have morphed into a mainstream medium for teens and adults. These sites encourage and enable people to exchange information about themselves, share pictures and videos, and use blogs and private messaging to communicate with friends, others who share interests, and sometimes even the world-at-large. And that's why it's important to be aware of the possible pitfalls that come with networking online.
Some social networking sites attract pre-teens - even kids as young as 5 or 6. These younger-focused sites don't allow the same kinds of communication that teens and adults have, but there are still things that parents can do to help young kids socialize safely online. In fact, when it comes to young kids, the law provides some protections - and gives parents some control over the type of information that children can disclose online. For sites directed to children under age 13, and for general audience sites that know they're dealing with kids younger than 13, there's the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). It requires these sites to get parental consent before they collect, maintain, or use kids' information. COPPA also allows parents to review their child's online profiles and blog pages.
For More Information
To learn more about staying safe online, visit the websites of the following organizations:
ConnectSafely - www.connectsafely.org
ConnectSafely is a forum for parents, teens, educators, and advocates designed to give teens and parents a voice in the public discussion about youth online safety, and has tips, as well as other resources, for safe blogging and social networking. Along with NetFamilyNews.org, it is a project of the non-profit Tech Parenting Group.
Cyberbully411 - www.cyberbully411.org
Cyberbully411 provides resources and opportunities for discussion and sharing for youth - and their parents - who have questions about or may have been targeted by online harassment. The website was created by the non-profit Internet Solutions for Kids, Inc., with funding from the Community Technology Foundation of California.
GetNetWise - www.getnetwise.org
GetNetWise is a public service sponsored by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help ensure that Internet users have safe, constructive, and educational or entertaining online experiences. The GetNetWise coalition works to provide Internet users with the resources they need to make informed decisions about their and their family's use of the Internet.
Internet Keep Safe Coalition - www.iKeepSafe.org
iKeepSafe.org is a coalition of 49 governors/first spouses, law enforcement, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other associations dedicated to helping parents, educators, and caregivers by providing tools and guidelines to promote safe Internet and technology use among children.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children - www.missingkids.com; www.netsmartz.org
NCMEC is a private, non-profit organization that helps prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; helps find missing children; and assists victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.
staysafe - www.staysafe.org
staysafe.org is an educational site intended to help consumers understand both the positive aspects of the Internet as well as how to manage a variety of safety and security issues that exist online.
Wired Safety - www.wiredsafety.org
WiredSafety.org is an Internet safety and help group. WiredSafety.org provides education, assistance, and awareness on cybercrime and abuse, privacy, security, and responsible technology use. It is also the parent group of Teenangels.org, FBI-trained teens and preteens who promote Internet safety.
