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Even if supervised on the Internet at
home, kids often have access to it at a friends' homes, at school, even
at the library. But parents can protect their children.
• Start talking to your children when (they)
are young. Drug prevention is most efffective among 5-12 year olds.
On average, children are offered their first cigarettes by third grade,
says Cynthia Knowles, a drug prevention specialist for a rural New York
district.
"They'll push you away - they are kids. But
you have to just stay close," Knowles says.
• Remove computers from children's bedrooms.
They should have access to the Internet only in a communal area. This
way you can monitor them when they are on the Web, says Winn Schwartau,
author of Internet and Computer Ethics for Kids.
"Parental responsibility means you know where
your child is going," Schwartau says. "Parents want to know this is
a physical world and they should also know it in virtual world."
• Create an Internet Use Agreement with
your child. Give (them) age-appropriate restrictions on what (they)
can do online, and set consequences if (they) violate the agreement.
• If your not Internet savvy, ask your
child to show you around the Web. You'll get an idea of what they aee
online. Review their bookmarks. If you notice any suspicious Web sites,
report them to the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline/buyonlineform.htm
and then delete sites from the computer.
• Use a filtering system that blocks inappropriate material. Be aware that, even with such a program, kids can find questionable material, such as books hyping the "positive" effects of drugs or information on drinking gamews.
• If your child has a credit card, keep tabs on the billing statements and look for unusual charges. Also watch for unmarked deliveries or evidence that a child has opened a POst Offfice box to recieve packages discreetly.
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