Online Safety Tips for Kids from Kids...the Little Angels

Alyssa's, Lauren's, and Maggie's Safety Tips (in their own [uncensored] words):

Most teenagers and even younger children know most of the online safety rules. Here's a list written by my little angels in training, who are nine and ten years old, Alyssa, Lauren, and Maggie.

1. Always ask your parents before you use the Internet.

2. Never give out your information or your name, address, phone number, school, or parent's name.

3. Don't lie about your age so you can go to a site on the Internet.

4. Don't buy anything without your parent's permission or if they are not there.

5. Never use bad language or you could get kicked off the Inter-net and never be able to go on again.

6. Don't ever open or answer any e-mail from people you don't know.

7. Never send a picture on the Internet to anyone you don't know.

8. Never ask to meet a person in real life you met on the Internet.

9. If somebody says he is a manager of 'N Sync and you get free tickets and signed stuff and asked you if you wanted it say "no" because it could be a lie or maybe he could be a scum bag.

10. If someone says there is a sale at the GAP and they need your address and phone number always say no.

11. Be careful of bad people on the Internet or you definitely will get hurt.

12. If someone is disobeying the rules, ignore them!

13. Never believe anyone if they tell you how old they are. Even if you think you can ask them questions only a kid would know the answers to, it doesn't prove they're really a kid.

14. Tell your parents if anything goes wrong.

Maggie's Advice

Maggie also wanted parents to know how she feels about them snooping into kids' e-mail and invading their privacy.

1. If you have your child's password, don't snoop around in their e-mail.

2. If you want to check their e-mail go through it with them.

She also wrote a letter on behalf of all kids to their parents that she wanted to share.

Dear Mom and Dad: I know all of the rules for safety online. I know that there are people out there who might want to hurt me. But don't worry, they won't catch me off-guard. Safety is important but I don't feel comfortable with you reading my mail unless you tell me first. I also want you to know that I know a lot of the rules for online safety. Here are some of the ones I would tell a friend that has never been online before: Don't talk to strangers. Don't download anything without your parents permission, it might have a virus. Hopefully you can trust me now.

Love, Your Son/Daughter