I must say that I have been quite impressed with the quality and volume of online safety awareness that was created during Internet Safety month in February. I am in fact only now getting through it all and thought (although a bit of a side step from my typical topic) that some of what I've seen is worth sharing with those who read this blog. I also think it's important to share this stuff, especially as I know many of you struggle as I do with keeping our kids safe online, while at the same trying to appear as though we are so in tune with their world.

So if you haven't watched them yet, I highly recommend the new videos created by KINSA that really do a good job at educating us on the places our kids are going, what they are doing (things we may or may not know) and provide pratical strategies on things like social networks and gaming. (You can find KINSA's Virtually Safe videos here.) For those of you that have teenagers, here are some interesting insights on online behaviours from Microsoft Canada and Youthography (Internet Safety - Microsoft Canada and Youthography Online Safety Survey) - things you may not want to know, but should know.

There are also some terms circulating the media that you might be interested in knowing a little more about - for example "sexting", a phenomenon that involves kids either texting provocative pictures of themselves or others to friends. This is one of those ones I believe requires greater adult intervention, simply because we know that kids think of themselves as invincible in this virtual world, but once those images are out there, they are out there ... we need to help our kids from themselves (and others) on this one.

This story provides more insight:

March 14, 2009
Teens using cellphones for ‘sexting' finding themselves in trouble: experts

So what did I learn in terms of some simple tips to keep my kiddies safe online while helping them explore the magic that is the Internet? My kids are still young, yet very engaged in the online world, so I've found that creating a personalized folder with all the kid-friendly URLs works like a charm. I'm happy to share the list of "go to" spots that I have in my young'ns folder if anyone is interested - let me know via mom@kinsa.net.

And remember, you can always go to www.mothersonlinemovement.ca to learn more and see what you can do to help, and/or join our Facebook cause page, at http://apps.facebook.com/causes/124291?m=5aa42af8.

Paula Knight
Mothers Online Movement (MOM) Founder and
KINSA Advisory Board
www.mothersonlinemovement.ca