FAMILY - CHILD SAFETY

These are a few tips to keep your child's online experience safe and enjoyable. Please review these with your children prior to allowing them to use the Internet. These safety tips are provided by the FBI Educational Web Publications.

• Never give out identifying information such as Name, Home Address, School Name, or Telephone Number in a public message such as at a chat room or on bulletin boards. Never send a person a picture of you without first checking with your parent or guardian.
• Never respond to messages or bulletin board items that are:
  • Suggestive
  • Obscene
  • Belligerent
  • Threatening
  • Make You Feel Uncomfortable
• Be careful when someone offers you something for nothing, such as gifts and money. Be very careful about any offers that involve your coming to a meeting or having someone visit your house.
• Tell your parent or guardian right away if you come across any information that makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Never arrange a face to face meeting without telling your parent or guardian. If your parent or guardian agree to the meeting, make sure that you meet in a public place and have a parent or guardian with you.
• Remember that people online may not be who they seem. Because you can't see or even hear the person it would be easy for someone to misrepresent him- or herself. Thus, someone indicating that "she" is a "12-year-old-girl" could in reality be an older man.
• Be sure that you are dealing with someone that you and your parents know and trust before giving out any personal information about yourself via E-mail.
• Get to know your "online friends" just as you get to know all of your other friends.

Should you become aware the existence of any pornographic or indecent materials involving children or adolescents, or any other incidences that could put your child at risk, immediately notify your local FBI Office or contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.