OUR DISTRICT

INTERNET SAFETY

TCSD Internet Safety

SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY

Most of the social media sites offer privacy and safety guides for parents. For instance, here are some for Facebook and Instagram.

LEARNING MORE ABOUT SETTING PRIVACY FEATURES

There are many resources available should you wish to learn more about how you, as a parent, can be aware of what your child is doing on social media.

PARENT'S GUIDE TO ONLINE SAFETY

Parents can help promote good cyber citizenship!

Technology will continue to advance at a rapid rate. Our children are able to access a wealth of information at the touch of a button, visit different parts of the world without leaving their room; participate in instructional programs via webcasts, podcasts and virtual environments; and communicate in real time with others living many hundreds of miles away, developing contacts through social networking sites. It is without question that the worldwide web and web 2.0 present many novel and interesting learning opportunities for all of us.

While exciting, it is prudent to recognize that these tools come with challenges. We encourage parents to become familiar with the sites and apps your children are accessing.

As a parent, we’ve heard of Facebook, Twitter, even Snapchat.

Your children have heard of these other sites, have you?

  • Amino

  • Discord

  • GroupMe

  • Kik

  • Omegle

  • Telegram

  • Tumblr

  • Yubo

Common Sense Media writes about apps and websites youth might be using:
18 Apps and Websites Kids are Heading to After Facebook

As a parent,

  • Have you considered the advantages and disadvantages of filtering or monitoring software for your home computer?

  • Do you know how to check an internet browser for the websites most recently visited by your children?

  • Have you investigated the features available on your child’s cell phone that allow students to snap and share photographs, send text messages, and connect to the internet quickly and easily?

Parents can encourage children to:

  • Think before they post

  • Critically analyze what they read for accuracy

  • Be vigilant when sharing personal information

  • Trust their intuition and seek the guidance of a parent or other adult when they receive communication that is inappropriate or causes them to feel apprehensive.

  • Consider how fast information and images get forwarded to people beyond your group of friends via texting, IM, and e-mail.

  • Remember that online choices can have offline consequences and in some cases, legal implications.

Parents can also:

  • Model appropriate online behavior

  • Reinforce to your child that their online profile can be viewed by anyone, including coaches, employers, and college admissions offices. Everything in their profile represents who they are.

Important Resources from the FBI & Government: