There are many ways that parents can protect their children online while promoting positive online experiences.

Children’s Internet Protection Act

School and libraries that receive E-Rate Universal Service funds from the FCC are required to have an online safety policy and to educate students about online safety. Local school authorities decide what the online safety policies should be and create the online safety curriculum. Read about the requirements of the Children’s Internet Protection Act.

Resources for Parents:

OnGuard Online: provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information. Topics include

• Computer security

• Email Scams

• Identity Theft

• Internet Auctions

• Kids’ Privacy

• Laptop Security

• Malware

• Online Shopping

• P2P Security

• Phishing

• Social Networking Sites

• Spyware

• Wireless Security

Kids.gov: a collection of government websites that address a wide range of children’s issues.

Kids.US: With the Dot Kids Implementation and Efficiency Act of 2002, the US Congress created a kid-friendly top level domain that would only have age-appropriate content that parents can trust as educational and fun. Zones of kid-friendly spaces are sometimes known as walled gardens or white-list spaces. All content from participating sites “is regularly screened and monitored, making ‘.kids.us’ the most ‘youth-friendly space on the web.’”

Children’s Privacy: The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, regulates the online collection of information from children under the age of 13 by commercial websites.

Internet Service Providers are required by federal law to provide information to customers about filtering technology and other parental controls. ISPs must notify customers that parental control protections (such as computer hardware, software, or filtering services) are commercially available that may assist customers in limiting their children’s access to offensive material. 47 U.S.C. § 230(d). Most ISPs provide excellent information on their websites, in materials provided to new subscribers, and through educational outreach programs. Many bundle online safety tools in the software provided to new subscribers.

Federal Bureau of Investigation: If children are victims of online criminal activity, parents and caregivers should contact their local office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or the local police.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children maintains the Cyber Tipline where information concerning online child exploitation can be reported.

Federal Reports: The United States Government has produced several reports which review the effectiveness of online safety tools. These reports are valuable sources of information for child care givers who may be involved in online safety decisions:

• Report to Congress, Children’s Internet Protection Act: Study of Technology Protection Measures in Section 1703, NTIA (Aug. 2003)

• Youth, Pornography, and the Internet, National Academies of Science (May 2002)

• Final Report of the Children’s Online Protection Act Commission (Oct. 2000)

NTIA is currently hosting the Online Safety and Technology Working Group, which is working on the latest comprehensive online safety report, due to Congress by June 2010.