Hola Whiz People!

You know that The Whiz Times is an absolutely safe and fun place to be. You get to know what's happening in the world around you and you can have some fun earning reward points, playing quizzes, games, watching videos. All this in a safe and fun environment. Unfortunately, all of the Internet is not such a safe place. All kinds of people write all sorts of things. Many of them are good people, but a few of them can be nasty individuals that you do not want to interact with. So, it is better to know some online safety tips for kids. Practice them and you will be happy. Tell this to your friends, show this to your parents and teachers too. So here we go:

• Do you have Internet rules? Please stick to them: If you use the Internet on your own , your parents have probably rules for Internet use. Maybe these are whether you can use social networking sites and how you can use them. Stick to them- rules are not bad. You will be happier if you follow these rules. Trust us.

• Tell your parents if something you encounter on the Internet makes you feel anxious, uncomfortable, or threatened. Stay calm your parents will help resolve the situation

• Ensure you follow age limits. The recommended age to sign up for social websites is usually 13 and over. If you are under the recommended age, do not use these sites. Would you start driving a car just because there is one around? If you do, just imagine how many things could go wrong. There is a reason those sites are for older people

• Visit sites that have good content. If you like a site, show it to your parents or teachers. If they approve, go ahead and have fun. Sites like The Whiz Times are meant for kids, parents and teachers. The Whiz Times monitors content that people post.

• Never meet anyone in person that you might have communicated with online only: Just in case you have met someone online on the internet (on any site, chat or social networking), tell your parents about them. If they ask you to meet up with them- that is a big red flag. You could be in real danger if you meet strangers in person with whom you've communicated with online only. Immediately tell you parents- there is nothing to be embarrassed or scared about this- just common sense. Use it please.  

• Ensure you don't use full names, while registering on sites. Better still, just use a nickname. That ways, strangers cannot put together pieces of information about you. Also, do not post the full names of your friends either

• Be careful not to reveal information that can identify you- in your profile picture or usernames or any other information that you reveal on the Internet. For example, do not use school names, uniforms, mascots, badges, or the name of the locality you live in. Avoid street signs, license plates on your cars too  Recognize phishing scams and fake emails.

• Do not express emotions to strangers. If you use any social websites to write journals and poems, understand that anyone with access to the Internet can read your words and could potentially fool or harm you taking advantage of your emotions. So yes- express yourself, but be careful and not too much emotions- if you HAVE TO, it is better to keep a private, password protected blog that is accessible to only a very few known people

• Online bullying: As soon as you are old enough to use social websites, know that bulling could happen online too. (Some more things about online bullying). If you think you are being bullied on the Internet, you should share this information right away with a parent, a teacher, or another adult that you trust. As for you, Communicate with other people online in the same way you would face-to-face. Treat other people the way you would prefer to be treated.

Beware of online fraud

• Never share personal information. Don't give out personal information, such as your full name or hometown, in an instant message (IM) or a chat room unless you are certain of the identity of the person with whom you are chatting.
• Log off in public. If you use computers in a library or Internet cafe, log off completely before you leave. You don't know what software is installed on these computers or what it does and it might have keystroke tracking software installed.
• Create secure passwords and keep them secret

Keep passwords secret

• Don't reveal passwords to others. Keep your passwords hidden, even from friends
• Protect recorded passwords. Be careful where you store passwords that you record or write down.
• Don't store passwords in your purse or wallet. Don't leave records of your passwords anywhere that you would not leave the information that the passwords protect. Don't store your passwords on a file in your computer. Criminals look there first.
• Never provide your password over email or in response to an email request. Any email message that requests your password or requests that you to go to a website to verify your password could be a kind of fraud called a phishing scam.This includes requests from trusted sites that you might visit all the time. Fraudsters often create fake email messages with logos and language from real sites. Learn more about phishing scams.
• Do not type passwords on computers that you do not control. Don't use public computers in your school, library, Internet cafes, or computer labs for any account that requires a user name and password. Criminals can use Public computers to gather information from users. For more information, see 5 steps for using a public computer.

Use social networking safely

Some of you Whiz kids may use social networking sites designed for children such as Webkinz or Club Penguin. Some might even use sites designed for adults such as YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, and others. Now this is not OK because there's a good reason they are meant for grown ups. A lot of discussions are not for kids and might leave a bad impression on you. You might want to feel like an adult and sign-up to those sites, but understand- really you are putting yourself in danger, and perhaps even your family. Just imagine- if you want to drive a car at 10 years age- and get into one to actually drive it, what would end up happening? Just like cars are heavy, need special skills and certain minimum physical requirements, in the same way, some of these social networking sites are meant for use by grown ups. [box type="warning" size="medium" title="Everyone can watch you!" right_title="More tips " right_description=" on child safety" url="http://thewhiztimes.com/child-safety-online/" style="arrow green" ]You should understand that many of these social networking sites can be viewed by anyone with access to the Internet. As a result, some of the information you post can make you a victim of scams, online bullying, and bad people who can easily come online to cause trouble- and it could be really difficult to find who they really are. [/box] So that's it. The Whiz Times will be posting new content on this topic of Online safety  tips for Kids. Enjoy and Be Safe!