Internet and children
Introduction
If your child is already a hardened Internaut, you need to point out the consequences of his/her actions on the Internet and discuss his/her online activities. Setting a good example of careful use of this communication tool can teach your child how to navigate properly. Here are a few basic tips:
- Instil good habits by drawing up a list of age-appropriate bookmarked sites offering children's activities;
- Clearly instruct your child never to give out personal information on chatrooms or websites without a parent's authorization (contests, mailing lists, etc.);
- Explain that the child must not give out information about his/her family or friends;
- Advise children to use nicknames in chatrooms and for mail services;
- Use parental control functions or software restricting access to certain sites or blocking transaction-related procedures on merchants' websites.
Parents' responsibilities
If a child shops online, the parents may be liable for purchases made or have problems cancelling a transaction. However, merchants must exercise caution. If the contents of their website contain primarily items intended for children, they must ensure that children placing orders have their parents' prior authorization.
Merchants' obligations
Merchants who develop websites intended for children must not collect or divulge personal information concerning the child without a parent's explicit, verifiable permission. For contests destined for children, merchants must gather only required contest information.
Navigation filters
Navigation filters are software packages that check certain characteristics of the web pages visited. They allow you to block access to pages presenting pornographic or violent contents but are not infallible. Therefore, it is important for young people to navigate responsibly, cautiously and critically and to refrain from divulging certain information on the Net.
Parents must have some control over their children's navigation, i.e. by navigating with them sometimes or asking what interesting things they have found on the Net.