Tips for parents about child internet safety, gaming
BROOKVILLE, Long Island (WABC) -- A young man was arrested Thursday morning on a Long Island college campus, accused of trolling Internet gaming sites popular with boys, in a case experts say represents a cautionary tale for parents.
Federal investigators are continuing to urge parents to be aware of their children's activity on the internet, particularly when it comes to gaming, and they are providing resources to help in the pricess.
HOW TO STAY SAFE ONLINE
The National Cyber Security Alliance has posted tips on its website that give both parents and kids advice on how to stay safe when gaming online.
Here are the major items:
* Before your kids start playing, be sure your computer has an activated security suite
* Be sure your kids have strong passwords for their gaming accounts. A strong password is a sentence that is at least 12 characters long. Focus on positive sentences or phrases that you like to think about and are easy to remember (for example, "I love country music."). On many sites, you can even use spaces!
* Let your kids know they can come to you if they feel uncomfortable when playing a game
* Checking for a game's Entertainment Rating Software Board's rating - on game packages, online or in some mobile app storefronts - is a great place to start in terms of gauging its age-appropriateness
* Make sure your kid knows how to block and/or report a cyberbully. Tell them to keep a record of the conversation if they are being harassed and encourage them not to engage the bully
