Bsmart with Bsafe Online - The First Edition

How Bad is the Problem (Child Pornography/ Exploitation)

Everyday, over 45 million children between the ages of 10 - 17 are online, and out of those children, 1 in 33 receive a sexual solicitation online, and nearly 60 percent receive some type of online communication from a stranger.

Our children are the most valuable asset we have, they are our future. We must do all in our power to protect their innocence from those who wish to use them for their own selfish purpose. Making it a priority to understand with whom and how your children are interacting online, could mean preventing your child from becoming a statistic and will allow them to have an enjoyable and educational time online.

You have taken the first step in protecting your children from questionable content online by purchasing a filter, now it's time to learn what your children are talking about when they met someone on IM (Instant Message) or they blogged about the game at school today. Could someone find out where they go to school by the information they posted?

Ways to help you protect your child online, and prevent them from becoming a statistic:
In order to talk to your children about the dangers of the Internet, you'll need to understand how it works and understand the services they are using.
    . Set up the programs your children will be using so only people they know will contact        them
            IM tools
               . Google Talk
               . Yahoo Messenger
               . AOL Instant Messenger
           Webmail - Spam Filters
               . Gmail
               . Hotmail - Sign into your account click on the help link in the lower right hand                   corner, and select "How do I stop receiving junk mail?"
           Bsafe Online Filter
              . How to block downloading IM clients
    . Have the computer in a common area of the house. Do not allow your child to have a        computer in their room or areas of the house that are secluded,
    . Spend time online with your children looking for educational sites and information that        they can use.
    . Show your children how to use the internet responsibly. This means you need to        understand what that means as well.
    . Question your children about who they talk to online.
    . Teach your children about safe internet usage. These guidelines include:
                   o Do not give out any personal information online address/name/phone                      number/school name/city.
                   o Do not use online Chat Rooms except for school purposes.
                   o Do not post or send pictures of themselves online.
                   o Do not use an online Web cam

Signs that your child might be in trouble online
   . Your child spends large amounts of time online, especially at night. (Use the Bsafe       Internet Filtering Time Feature to disallow internet access after certain hours.
   . You find pornography on your child's computer.
   . Your child receives phone calls from people you don't know or is making calls,       sometimes long distance, to numbers you don't recognize.
   . Your child receives mail, gifts, or packages from someone you don't know.
   . Your child turns the computer monitor off or quickly changes the screen on the monitor       when you come into the room.
   . Your child becomes withdrawn from family/friends.
   . Your child is using an online account belonging to someone else.

What to Do if Your Child is in Trouble Due to Online Use
If your child is experiencing any of the above signs or if your child lets you know about communication from someone online that is of a sexual nature, please contact your local law enforcement as soon as possible. Do not remove or copy any files on the computer as your law enforcement officials will be using it as evidence.

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October 2006

Volume 1 Issue 1

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