Aqra bil-Malti

Tips for Parents

• Discover the internet together with your children. Try to find websites that are exciting, informative, educational, and fun. Hopefully you will together achieve a positive and conscious attitude to internet exploration, which could make it easier to share both positive and negative experiences in the future.
  
  
• Agree with your son/daughter on guidelines which apply to Internet use in your household. Some ideas would be how to treat your personal information, how much time is spent on the internet, what type of sites are OK or not OK and why, how to behave towards others on the net, etc.
  
  
• Encourage your child to be careful when disclosing personal information. Being conscious of when and where it is all right to reveal personal information is vital.
  
  
• Don't be too critical towards your child's exploration of the internet. Children and youth may come across adult material by accident on the Web. If a child intentionally searches for such web sites, remember that it is natural for children to be curious about off-limits material. Try to use this as an opening to discuss the content with them, and perhaps make rules for this kind of activity. Be realistic in your assessment of how your child uses the internet.
  
  
• Keep it open. Keep your computer in a common room of your home where you can supervise its use.
  
  
• Know your child's net use. To be able to guide your child with regard to Internet use, it is important to understand how children use the Internet and know what they like to do on-line. Let your child show you which websites they like visiting and what they do there. You can also contact your internet service provider to advise you how to check such information.
  
  
• Help your child to understand the risks associated with meeting an e-pal face to face. Adults should understand that the internet could be a positive meeting place for children, where they can get to know other children and make new friends. However, to avoid unpleasant experiences, it is important that children do not meet strangers that they have met on the net without being accompanied by an adult, friends, or others that they trust. In any case, the child should always have their parents' approval first.
  
  
• Be cautious about divulging personal information. Do not e-mail or provide your credit card number to websites of questionable credibility. Economic crime is widespread in internet. Do not provide your personal details such as your name, mailing address, telephone number or pictures of yourself to strangers you 'meet' online.
  
  
• Install a filtering tool. Such a tool in your computer bans the access to websites with illegal or harmful content. For more help contact your internet service provider.

Tips for young people

• Do not give personal information to others. A person may abuse your name, phone number, e-mail address, address or a photograph of yourself. Do not give such material to someone you do not know.
  
  
• Draw the line. Remember that YOU draw the line. Shut down and turn off you computer if you feel unsafe.
  
  
• Never meet with a chat friend alone. Let your parents know if you are going to meet a chat friend. Arrange the meeting during daytime in a place where other people are around. Never go to a meeting alone.
  
  
• React and hold on to evidence. React if a situation is unpleasant. Remember to hold on to evidence if you have received messages, e-mails or any other material. This makes it easier for adults to help you.
  
  
• Talk to someone whom you trust. It always helps to talk to someone if you have experienced something unpleasant.