Raise Web Wise Kids

Although we know that the American child abduction rate is way over hyped (see The Momstyle News post “There are only 115 kidnappings per year“) it is still a parent’s responsibility to teach a child how to negotiate safety situations. Parents can probably go off the high blood pressure medication they’ve been prescribed for their worry over child safety, but they still are the primary educators of their children and have to deal with some level of stranger-danger education. Throughout life kids are going to encounter wierdos and an important life skill is being able to recognize and deal with them.

The internet does put children, especially teens, in the path of malevolent strangers. Don’t let this worry you too much. Your kids are smart and with your guidance they can develop a healthy level of cynicism that will give them good judgement about situations that could lead them into trouble. The challenge for many parents is, when it comes to the internet, they don’t know where to start.

Here is one option. Web Wise Kids has a series of educational computer games, for parents, kids, teachers and law enforcements officers, that teach internet safety. The parent education program is called “Wired With Wisdom” and it walks even the most un-tech-savvy parent through social networking, e-mail, cell phone use, instant messaging, and general internet safety issues. The kid games are designed for tweens and teens. They are actual computer games that take kids through the experience of being hood-winked by internet predators, so that they can learn to recognize the signs and avoid the real thing.

The games cost between $20 and $40 each. You can preview videos of the game content at the website www.WebWiseKids.org