The Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace: UK Edition. Book

The Internet is a wonderful tool for education and many families and teachers want to take advantage of it, especially now that access is mostly free in the UK. At the same time, there are elements on the Internet from which parents will want to protect their children. These include pornographic Web sites, sites that promote violence or intolerance, and paedophiles using e-mail or chat rooms to prey on children. Parry Aftab's book is designed to help parents and teachers protect children from such dangers when they are using the Internet--and, as the book makes clear, protect them from themselves. Children are naturally curious about what's forbidden, and don't always know when they are in danger--as some harrowing real-life examples have made clear. The Parent's Guide to Protecting your Children in Cyberspace has been a success in the US, and it's pleasing that McGraw-Hill has localised this edition for the UK. The book directs parents and teachers to excellent UK resources such as the National Grid for Learning. Throughout, Parry Aftab gives no-nonsense advice on how to educate children about using the Internet and what parents can do to minimise risks. This includes advice such as keeping the family PC in a central location and not hidden in kid's bedrooms, and putting together a safe surfing "contract" that sets out what children should and shouldn't do. A lot of what Parry Aftab says is basic common sense but she structures it in such a way that those traditional parenting rules such as "don't talk to strangers" are easily applied to the new world of the Internet. The book also acts as a useful introduction to the Internet for those parents who may know less about it than their children. By following the guidelines in this easy-to-read book, parents will go a long way in ensuring that their children's use of the Internet remains safe and happy. --Paul FisherRead More