Internet Saftey Reflection

I chose to read Setting Family Standards for Entertainment by Carla Dalton. I chose this article because I wanted to learn more about creating a safe and uplifting environment in my future home. I really liked the advice to talk with your kids about gospel principles and values and then ask them how the entertainment they are participating in fits with those values.
I watched several of the video resources on NetSmartwith real-life examples of youth who learned about internet safety the hard way. It was very sobering to realize how many kids could have avoided awful situations if they had just been better educated about internet safety. I also watched the video Faux Paw's internet safety video on iKeepSafe, which I think is a really good resource for young children. It gets the message across without being too scary.
I think the biggest take-away I got from this assignment is the importance of educating children about internet safety, but also emphasizing the good things about the internet and technology in general. If your children and kids understand how to both be safe and enjoy using technology, they will be more likely to make good choices. They will know how to be cautious without being scared. I also learned how important it is for parents to be aware of their children's use of the internet and media. It seemed like all the kids who got in trouble in the videos I watched, their parents had no clue of what was going on.
I talked to my mom about internet safety. She actually knew a lot about how to be safe while surfing the web. She was a little shocked by some of the cyberbulling and things that actually go on, but she said that she doesn't worry about my three younger sisters who are still at home. The computers they use are their laptops from school that have blocked access to bad websites and even social networks like facebook. But she also said that she wishes they didn't spend so much time playing games or emailing on their computers. When I told her about the different resources, she said she thought it would be a good to have an FHE lesson on the internet and media.