[INTRO MUSIC]
ANNE ZEHREN: Hi.
My name is Anne Zehren, and I'm the President of Common
Sense Media and mom of two boys.
Common Sense is a nonprofit organization dedicated to
helping families and teachers manage our kids' media
saturated world.
Because kids go online for just about everything, we've
teamed up with Google to help teach kids to make safe and
smart Internet choices.
It all starts with having some rules.
MALE SPEAKER: I can go pretty much anywhere I want online as
long as it isn't completely inappropriate.
FEMALE SPEAKER: Don't pretend you are someone else.
MALE SPEAKER: I have to finish all my homework first.
ANNE ZEHREN: Kids can, and will, see
inappropriate things online.
That means parents and teachers must be involved in
kids' online experiences.
A few simple rules can work wonders.
Your best bet is to keep computers in a central place
in your home or classrooms so you can check out
what kids are doing.
Keep an eye on the clock and set time limits.
Remember, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no
more than one to two hours of total screen
time a day for kids.
If a child is seven or under, it's better to navigate the
Internet with them.
For older kids, agree on where they can and can't go before
they log on.
You can check out where they have been by looking at the
browser's history in your web browser's menu.
Another option is using filtering,
or blocking, software.
Google Safe Search lets parents and teachers block
adult content in their computer search results.
You can get to it by clicking preferences
on the Google homepage.
Of course, it's impossible to monitor all online
content all the time.
That's why, as kids get older, they need to know how to use
the Internet safely and responsibly when
they're on their own.
MALE SPEAKER: No one's ever really had a long conversation
with me about Internet safety.
FEMALE SPEAKER: I shouldn't say my address or
my name or my age.
FEMALE SPEAKER: My page is private so only my
friends can see it.
ANNE ZEHREN: Older kids love online communities.
They use these sites to create personal pages to show off who
they are and what they're doing.
These sites give kids creative ways to express themselves,
but that doesn't mean that the whole world needs to see
everything they've posted.
Every social networking site has privacy or sharing
controls, and kids need to learn how to use them.
Personal information such as names, addresses, phone
numbers, or school names can place kids at risk if it's
viewed by a sexual predator.
Sexy pictures or shots of kids with drugs and alcohol can be
viewed by college admissions officers
or potential employers.
Teach kids to use common sense and privacy controls to make
sure that their personal information only gets shared
with friends and family.
And encourage kids to share what they post with you.
Google's photo sharing site, Picasa, let's kids limit the
people they share their photos with.
Google's blogger service has similar privacy controls that
let kids decide who can access their blogs.
In addition to teaching kids how to use these controls,
teach them to respect the privacy of friends and family
by not identifying them in profiles or tagging them in
their pictures.
It sounds kind of obvious, but it's important to remind kids
not to give out their passports and not to click on
remember me settings on public computers like at school and
the library.
If someone other than a password owner gets ahold of a
password, they can read kids' email and even email other
people or post things under their name.
Stranger danger is as real online as it is on the
playground.
Teach kids to avoid in person meetings with
people they meet online.
Be careful about sharing personal information online
because people may not be who they say they are.
Google's chat service, Gtalk, allows kids to decide whether
to accept a chat invite from a new online friend.
Now that we've covered some of the things kids should not
share online, let's talk about how kids should communicate.
FEMALE SPEAKER: It's easier to say mean things over a
computer than to their face.
MALE SPEAKER: Most of my friends are
actually really nice.
FEMALE SPEAKER: If they receive any rude messages,
they should immediately block the friend or just stop going
on completely.
ANNE ZEHREN: Cyberbullying.
It's devastating.
Unlike playground teasing, cruel comments can be
instantly forwarded to an entire class or school.
And because screen names can make bullies anonymous, the
source of these comments can be hard to trace and make kids
even bolder.
A good rule of thumb is, if you wouldn't say to someone's
face, don't text it, email it, IM it or post it
on someone's page.
Let your kids know that, if they're being cyberbullied,
they need to leave bullying messages on their screen and
get you or the nearest responsible adult immediately.
You can block the offender or report the episode to the
school principal or the Internet service provider.
Today's most popular web sites feature
user generated content.
Internet sites all have terms of service, so sit down and
review the rules and what's OK to post. Many services also
have easy to use tools for flagging inappropriate content
that others post online.
If your kids post something inappropriate, they can and
will have their content flagged.
That means someone else in the community has reported what
they posted isn't OK.
It's really important for kids to know that they, too, can
flag inappropriate content.
This isn't tattle taling, it's about creating and maintaining
a respectful community that everybody can enjoy.
And our last tip for you, instill media literacy skills
to make sure kids know not to trust or believe everything
they see or read online.
FEMALE SPEAKER: I usually check it with another website.
MALE SPEAKER: Either the writing will be all distorted,
there will some spelling errors.
MALE SPEAKER: I might ask my parents.
FEMALE SPEAKER: I rely on books.
MALE SPEAKER: I could figure it out by looking up who
posted it on the Internet.
ANNE ZEHREN: Just because you see it online,
doesn't make it true.
Anyone can post anything.
Teach kids how to distinguish reliable sources from
unreliable ones and how to verify
information they find online.
Kids use the Internet for research, gossip, news.
Have them check multiple sources and verify facts by
referencing credible sites.
And make sure kids understand that cutting and pasting right
from a website may be plagiarism.
And plagiarism is cheating, plain and simple.
Let's recap.
Teach household rules for Internet use.
Teach your kids Internet safety and how to keep
personal information private.
Teach your kids about communicating safely online.
And view all content critically.
The Internet runs right through the center of our
kids' lives.
With the tools and tips made available by Common Sense
Media and Google, parents and teachers can help children
have safe, rewarding online experiences.
Thanks for watching.