Staying safe on the 'Net

It’s a good piece of advice.

Last week, RCMP Constable Grant Webber told parents at South Queens Junior High that supervision was the key to keeping kids safe on the Internet.

It is an increasing dangerous place.

We’ve all heard the stories.

The Internet is a haven for sexual predators, fraudsters and other criminals. It also has become a place where cyberbullying has become commonplace.

On chat programs, teens talk to people from around the world in a different language that includes a host of acronyms parents may not be familiar with; lol, omg, brb, …and the list goes on.

Reading an online chat is like deciphering a coded military message. For the unknowing it can read like gibberish. But to chatters, it makes perfect sense.

Heated exchanges on instant messenger programs are commonplace, and some online conversations venture into intimidation and threats.

It’s scary.

But it doesn’t have to be and there are things parents can do to help keep their children safe when they are online.

It all begins with supervision and talking to children and teens about how to be safe on the Internet.