Protecting Our Children On The Net

I have been tagged by Paula over at The Thinking Blog. When I first saw the request to participate I was reluctant. I don't like doing a lot of these things but after checking this one out, I changed my mind. This almost goes hand in hand with my earlier post on child predators. The project Blogger Power is a campaign to safegard the internet for children against pornography.

Just to make things clear:

- this is not a campaign against pornography as a whole
- this is not about restricting legitimate free speech and legal commerce
- this is a common sense request to all the “adult site” webmasters: password- protected login on porn sites for all the explicit materials, no more “free clips”, “free tours”, “free pics” without login!

A Request To All Webmasters Of Adult Sites:

"Please require a password-protected login before allowing even free access to explicit adult content. We understand that selling porn is your business and we respect your right to make a legal living. But understand our legitimate concerns and work with us. You already have the “warning adult content” on your websites. Yet kids, who are not legal customers of your product, ignore the warning. So to prevent them from having direct access to explicit images, texts and sounds, the simplest way is to have a password-protected login. No more “free tours” before a visitor supplies basic information."

My Advice To All Parents:

Our children are young, they are impressionable, and many times even gullible when first gaining internet access. We as parents must also do our part in helping to keep their internet experience a safe and pleasant one. Here are some tips for anyone who has a child on the net.

1. Place the computer in a public area of the house where you can keep an eye on your child.

2. Restrict internet site that are inappropriate for children. (block them)

3. Talk to your child about what he/she does on the internet and make him/her aware that it is necessary to let you know if anything on the net makes him/her uncomfortable.

4. Be honest with your child. Depending upon age, let him/her know that there are things and people on the net who do not have his/her best interest at heart.

5. Last but not least, make it a point to know what your child is doing when on the net.

I am supposed to tag 20 other bloggers to become involved in this campaign:

Kelly, Nicole, NeuroticMom, Titania, Sanitybreak, Kim, Deb, Finn, Chesca, Pia, Eliza, Maria, Daniela, Webmiztris, PracticalChick, EastCoastLife, Scott, Michelle, Twyla, Stefan

Note: The wonderful Blogger Power logo was designed by: Evie Milo