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Dennis-Yarmouth Regional School District

Empowering Students to Achieve Excellence

Internet Safety Guidelines

INTERNET SAFETY

Technology allows us to communicate, shop, research, learn and bank more easily, but it also provides ready access to inappropriate and dangerous information and predators. The way to stay safe is to understand the dangers and follow some simple guidelines to protect your family.  

As a District, it is our responsibility to teach students about how to be good digital citizens, how to interact with technology and what to do if they feel threatened or unsure about online activity.

As a parent/guardian, it is your responsibility to know what your children are doing with technology, whether it is online gaming, researching information for homework, chatting with friends, or browsing shopping websites and guard them against the dangers that prey on unsuspecting minors.  

Here are some resources that can help guide you through keeping your children safe as they navigate technology.

Recent studies have found:  

  • More than two-thirds of children and teens posted personal information  
  • A third to almost half of teens have been victimized online  
  • Many have issued threats electronically, but fully 60% have not told an adult  
  • 48% of teens have received sexually suggestive messages  
  • 40% of teen boys and 37% of teen girls say they have sent sexually suggestive messages 

The good news is that many dangers can be avoided if children and their parents learn about smart technology use.  

Parents must be actively involved in educating their children about appropriate and safe technology use and in monitoring their child’s activity, particularly online.  

Children often don’t tell their parents when something goes wrong online or with their technology because they are afraid they’ll lose their screen privileges or that parents will “make a big deal” out of it. Having conversations with your children about appropriate technology use, how to be a good digital citizen and what to do if they are unsure/afraid of what they are seeing or doing online is essential to keeping them safe while using technology and building a healthy framework for technology use.

    • Set parameters such as:
      • how much time per day they can use their devices
      • sites they are allowed to visit
      • who they can chat with
      • if they can game online and with whom  
    • Require technology to be used in a busy area, not in the privacy of a bedroom.  
    • Passwords are private information. Children should not give their passwords to their friends and they must be careful when using someone else’s devices that their password isn’t saved on those devices.
    • Know your child’s passwords and screen names and where they may have set up profiles.
    • Obtain a list of your child’s online friends' screen names and real names. Explain to your child that knowing someone online does not mean they know who they really are.  
    • Use Parental Controls from your Internet Service Provider and learn how to block messages, email, and chat rooms from people you or your child do not know.  
    • Learn how to check the history on your devices and check it at regular intervals. If it has been cleared, there is a chance your child is trying to cover up online activity. Ask them about it.  
    • Install blocking and filtering software to limit your child’s exposure to inappropriate material.  
    • Develop an Internet safety plan for your family. With your children, agree on rules of what they can and cannot do online, when they can go on the Internet, and how long they can stay.  
    • Learn about the Internet. Sit with your child and visit sites together and take a class at a local community college or ask a friend who is knowledgeable. Visit the sites listed in the resoures below to learn more as well as to find activities to do with your child to promote a digital safety discussion with your child.  
    • Pay attention to your children’s behavior on and offline. If you notice a big change, talk with your child and their teachers/social worker.  
    • Perhaps one of the biggest fears that parents have about the Internet is their child will interact with strangers. Predators use the Internet to lure young people away from their homes. They spend time “grooming” their potential victims to gain their trust and convince them to meet in person. Parents can  protect children by explaining that the same rules apply to Internet “strangers” as they do for in person  “strangers.” 

    Luring is illegal, and if your child meets someone online whom you perceive to be a threat, contact law enforcement.  

  • Here are some resources that can help guide you through keeping your children safe as they navigate technology.