Internet Safety Tips for Parents

The following safety measures were provided Monday at the Mansfield Middle School by Detective Scott Driscoll, of InternetSafetyConcepts.com:

• Set up Ground Rules

Driscoll said parents should sit down with their children and lay out ground rules for computer time and usage. "At no time are we not trusting our children, but this world happens fast," Driscoll said.

• Keep Your Computer in a Common Area

"Children should be able to look over their shoulder and say 'mom, dad, I need help,'" Driscoll said.

• Enable Parental Controls & Safe Search Settings

"Technology changes in a blink of an eye," Driscoll said. "If we don't think about safety, especially in terms of our children, these positives [of technology] can turn into negatives," he said. "If the Internet is used properly, it's a great tool," Driscoll said.

• Know Your Child's "Friends"

"The challenge is to sit down with your kids and ask them who their friends are and where they know them from," Driscoll said. "You wouldn't allow them to bring a stranger right past you in your house," he said, adding, "You and your family have the right to be safe."

• Discuss Bullying

"This has a huge and has a long-term effect on people," Driscoll said. "Today something happens, one of the first things our young people do instead of saying 'hey, someone get help,' or 'hey, knock it off,' their first thing that they do is record it. YouTube has thousands of kids being bullied across this country...and we need to put a stop to it," he said.