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You Are Here: Home > Information > Internet Definitions The secret to keeping your children safe in chat is teaching them not to give out personal information online. But some children still share too much information to be safe. If you’ve tried everything, & your kids still share too much personal information online, there are software tools that can be programmed to block certain outgoing information, like their names, addresses, & telephone numbers. But you should know that kids also can get around the outgoing blocking programs: instead of typing their name as "Bob Smith," they can type in B*****O*****B & the letter that comes after R*****M****I****and the letter that comes after S****H." They can do the same with addresses, telephone numbers, & other information we don’t want them to share. The only way to be really sure you’ve caught them in the act is by using a program like Cyber Snoop or Disk Tracy, which capture all communications & let you see exactly, word for word, what your kids are saying online. (But many people feel this is overkill. If you resort to products like these, make sure you warn your children that you’re using software to monitor their communications - otherwise, it’s like reading their diary.) Teenagers & kids alike hate the word-for-word monitoring products; they see them as a severe invasion of their privacy. & I’m not sure I don’t agree with them. |