First things first. The internet is filled will lots of amazing information, pictures and games. Sadly it also has it's bad people who will post things that are bad for young people like yourself. That is why we must have a set of rules for safe searching. Make sure your read these and follow them to keep yourself and your family safe.

Kids’ Rules for Online Safety

1. I will not give out personal information such as my address, telephone number, parents’ work address/telephone number without my parents’ permission.

2. I will tell my parents right away if I come across something that makes me feel uncomfortable.

3. I will never agree to get together with someone I “meet” online without first checking with my parents. If my parents agree to the meeting, I will be sure that it is in a public place and bring a parent along.

4. I will talk with my parents about posting pictures of myself or others online and not post any pictures that my parents consider to be inappropriate.

5. I will not respond to any messages that are mean or in any way make me feel uncomfortable. It is not my fault if I get a message like that. If I do I will tell my parents right away.

6. I will talk with my parents so that we can set up rules for going online and using a mobile phone. We will decide upon the time of day that I can be online, the length of time I can be online and appropriate areas for me to visit. I will not access other areas or break these rules without their permission.

7. I will not give out my passwords to anyone (even my best friends) other than my parents.

8. I will check with my parents before downloading or installing software or doing anything that could possibly hurt our computer or mobile device or jeopardize my family’s privacy.

9. I will be a good online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is against the law.

10. I will help my parents understand how to have fun and learn things online and teach them things about the Internet, computers and other technology.

First things first. The internet is filled will lots of...

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Now that we have some basic rule in place, how do we do a search?

Search: Start with some general key words. If your results aren’t what you want, alter the keywords to make a more specific search. I encourage you to put the word “kids” in to find child friendly websites and articles.
Delve: Look beyond the first few results. Flick through a few pages if needed, many websites use Search Engine Optimisation to improve the visibility of their pages in search results. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the most useful or relevant sites.
Source: Look at the actual URL address to see where you’re going before you click on a search engine result. Use some intuition to decide whether it seems reliable. Is it from a well known site? An educational or government institution? Is it a forum or opinion site?
Validity: Remember that you cannot believe everything you read. Encourage them to make their own judgement by checking more than one source if they’re not sure.
Purpose: Be wary of websites that are cluttered with advertisements or might be trying to sell you something.
Background: When reading articles, try to look for the author’s name and when the article was written. Is it recent or outdated?.

Now that we have some basic rule in place, how do...

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Google

Link: http://Google.com

Google

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Bing

Link: http://bing.com

Bing

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Now Lets try a search. Lets click on one of the above links and type in

" monkey facts for kids".

What showed up on in your results? Facts? Pictures? Videos? Congradulations! You just finished your first web search! Just make sure and remember our rules for safe searching!!!

Now Lets try a search. Lets click on one of...

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