| 4797 Hayes Road, Suite 102, Madison, WI 53704 Phone: (608) 244-1455 Fax: (608) 244-4785 Email: wi_office@pta.org |
Safety & Welfare |
Wisconsin Parent Teacher Newsletter Read It Here! |
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As parents, you experience pressures and concerns not faced by previous generations. Despite these
challenges, many parents make heroic efforts to raise healthy children in safe environments despite uncertain
times. Child safety becomes paramount. PTA offers you several tools to help you gauge potential risks and
advice on giving clear instructions to your children on how to avoid such risks. Talking to children about safety
also increases their understanding of violence and the need for practicing safe behaviors.
Parents are not alone in making child safety a priority. Many school officials and community members are
working with families to create a safe environment where children can flourish and grow, free from violence,
drugs, gangs and other threats. With the necessary resources, support, and guidance, all of us can make a
difference in our homes, schools and communities.
challenges, many parents make heroic efforts to raise healthy children in safe environments despite uncertain
times. Child safety becomes paramount. PTA offers you several tools to help you gauge potential risks and
advice on giving clear instructions to your children on how to avoid such risks. Talking to children about safety
also increases their understanding of violence and the need for practicing safe behaviors.
Parents are not alone in making child safety a priority. Many school officials and community members are
working with families to create a safe environment where children can flourish and grow, free from violence,
drugs, gangs and other threats. With the necessary resources, support, and guidance, all of us can make a
difference in our homes, schools and communities.
Do you know what's in that computer or video game your child wants to buy or rent? Just as with movies and TV shows,
computer and video games on the market today are created for players of differing ages and maturity levels. Some games have
content that may not be suitable for children. As parents, we have a responsibility to guide our children toward games that we
decide are appropriate for them to play. That's why parents should read game reviews, talk to older children and other parents,
and try out demos of the games online or in stores before they make a purchase.
In addition to taking these steps, parents should check the ratings on every computer and video game box to help choose the
right games for their family. Found on virtually every computer and video game package, the Entertainment Software Rating
Board (ESRB) ratings provide information about age suitability and describes the content of the game.
Helpful Tips for Parents
- Check the ratings. Use both ESRB rating symbols and content descriptors to select appropriate games for your
children. Before you go shopping, visit ESRB for specific ratings information. - Consider your child's personality, maturity and abilities. Video game ratings provide guidance. Parents should decide
which games are appropriate for their children. - Don't stop at the ratings. Speak to older children and other parents, rent before purchasing, read game reviews, and try
out demos* of games online or in stores where games are sold. - Look closely at the box the game comes in. Most video games have screen shots of the game on the back of the box
showing typical scenes from the game. Determine if you are comfortable with the characters, scene depiction, and level
of action portrayed before you buy or rent the game. Additional screen shots are available online at game preview
websites, such as Game Revolution, GameSpot, or GameSpy. - Know the store's return policy. Many stores will not accept video game returns if the cellophane wrapping has been
opened. Check with the store before you make your purchase. Many major retailers (link opens in PDF) will, however,
allow parents to return or exchange games sold to their children in violation of store enforcement policies regarding the
sale of Mature-rated video games. - Play video games with your children. Playing or observing helps you understand your child's video game experience,
while providing a fun parent/child activity. Talk to your child and ask him or her about the game, what makes it fun for
them, what is the story-line, is the game real or make-believe? - Use parental controls. Newer video game systems allow parents to restrict specific game content by rating. Check with
the manufacturer of your video game system for more information, or ask a video game retail sales associate about the
availability of parental controls. - Be cautious with "online-enabled" games. Many popular games can be played with friends (and strangers) over the
Internet. Often, these games contain live chat or other user-generated content that is not rated by the ESRB and may not
be consistent with the rating assigned to the game. - Be aware of "mods" that can change a game. Down loadable programs ("mods") can alter game content and the
game's age-appropriateness. Some mods can contain viruses or spy-ware, making them dangerous predators to your
family computer. - Set household media use rules. Establish rules for your children and encourage open communication about their
media use so they recognize what you feel is inappropriate content.
For more information on media safety, including TV viewing, click here.
Links:
School Violence
Physical Safety
Child Safety
Substance Abuse
Railroad Safety
Safe School Checklist
SAMHSA-Substance Abuse &
Mental Health Services
Administration
McGruff- Safety & Crime
Prevention
School Violence
Physical Safety
Child Safety
Substance Abuse
Railroad Safety
Safe School Checklist
SAMHSA-Substance Abuse &
Mental Health Services
Administration
McGruff- Safety & Crime
Prevention
| Bullying |
In this day and age, bullying is a growing problem in our
schools. There are many ways a child can be bullied:
We can all help combat this form of abuse with education
and advocating. Click here for more information.
schools. There are many ways a child can be bullied:
- Cyber Bullying
- Emotional Bullying
- Physical Bullying
- Racial Bullying
- Sexual Bullying
- Verbal Bullying
We can all help combat this form of abuse with education
and advocating. Click here for more information.
What Makes the Internet Dangerous?
It's important to distinguish here that the Internet is not dangerous. People are
dangerous.
The Internet has become a new tool for those who would wish to bring harm to children.
When you were a kid, you had to worry about a guy in a van who might be cruising
through your neighborhood. These days, you have to worry about a guy with a laptop and
they can be anywhere in the world, talking to your kid at any time of the day.
The anonymity afforded by the Internet allows people to take on many personalities
without any form of identity verification. People who abuse this privilege sometimes
commit crimes, ranging from identity theft, to credit card fraud to soliciting minors for
sexual acts.
Helping your child understand that there are people out there who are pretending to be
something they are not is a big first step to protecting your children when they are online.
What is "Phriending" ?
Phriending is a new ploy used by predators where someone pretends to know a child
through association, having gained this knowledge from reading blogs or social network
site pages, and is added to a list of people who have special access to otherwise private
information about that child. Unfortunately, the currency of social networks, and being a
teenager in general, is built on the number of friends a person has, so teens are very
eager to add "friends," even those with weak links back to them. A child's buddy list or
friends list could number into the hundreds, so it's important to know with whom they are
communicating online. Kids are very trusting, and predators count on this to then gain
access to private pages, updates on a child's activities and whereabouts and even
communicate directly with the child, even though they've never met in person. Phriends
are phoney friends.
How Real is the Internet Predator Problem?
The FBI estimates that there are approximately 500,000 to 750,000 sexual predators
online on any given day. They further estimate that there are approximately 18 million
teenagers online at any given moment. Conservatively, that is a ratio of 1 predator for
every 40 children online. Considering that is the ratio of children to teachers in any high
school,you can understand how real this problem is. This is simply an illustration of
what the ratios look like, to demonstrate that while 500,000 may seem like a big number,
it seems even bigger when taken in the context of a ratio of predators to kids online at
any given moment.
Click here for more information.
It's important to distinguish here that the Internet is not dangerous. People are
dangerous.
The Internet has become a new tool for those who would wish to bring harm to children.
When you were a kid, you had to worry about a guy in a van who might be cruising
through your neighborhood. These days, you have to worry about a guy with a laptop and
they can be anywhere in the world, talking to your kid at any time of the day.
The anonymity afforded by the Internet allows people to take on many personalities
without any form of identity verification. People who abuse this privilege sometimes
commit crimes, ranging from identity theft, to credit card fraud to soliciting minors for
sexual acts.
Helping your child understand that there are people out there who are pretending to be
something they are not is a big first step to protecting your children when they are online.
What is "Phriending" ?
Phriending is a new ploy used by predators where someone pretends to know a child
through association, having gained this knowledge from reading blogs or social network
site pages, and is added to a list of people who have special access to otherwise private
information about that child. Unfortunately, the currency of social networks, and being a
teenager in general, is built on the number of friends a person has, so teens are very
eager to add "friends," even those with weak links back to them. A child's buddy list or
friends list could number into the hundreds, so it's important to know with whom they are
communicating online. Kids are very trusting, and predators count on this to then gain
access to private pages, updates on a child's activities and whereabouts and even
communicate directly with the child, even though they've never met in person. Phriends
are phoney friends.
How Real is the Internet Predator Problem?
The FBI estimates that there are approximately 500,000 to 750,000 sexual predators
online on any given day. They further estimate that there are approximately 18 million
teenagers online at any given moment. Conservatively, that is a ratio of 1 predator for
every 40 children online. Considering that is the ratio of children to teachers in any high
school,you can understand how real this problem is. This is simply an illustration of
what the ratios look like, to demonstrate that while 500,000 may seem like a big number,
it seems even bigger when taken in the context of a ratio of predators to kids online at
any given moment.
Click here for more information.
Steps to Internet Safety
in your child's online activities
with vigilance
in your child's online activities
with vigilance
- Stay away from the
blame game if your
child comes to you
with a problem - Help children
understand that just
as they would never
tell a complete
stranger where they
live, they shouldn't
give away too much
personal information
online - Let your child know
that you are not
interested in spying
on them, but rather in
keeping them out of
trouble - Ensure that your child
knows they can come
to you if they ever feel
uncomfortable about
someone who has
approached them
online - Have clear ground
rules for Internet use,
so that consequences
can easily be matched
with breaking them
