As Caregivers, we all need to try our best to keep up with the ever-changing world of the internet and the potential threats it poses for children...And it is not easy!!! Here are some helpful tips (by age group) which we have learned recently through the PCAIN collaboration with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Our best defense is open and regular communication with our youth, reinforcing ourselves as a trusted source they should come to with ANY concerns.  We should also consider checking in with other caregivers when children go to spend the night elsewhere or have play dates in other homes. Asking other caregivers about their rules and practices around monitoring internet utilization is a way to elevate this conversation, learn from each other and keep it top of mind. 

Ages 2–7-years:

• Sit with your little ones, while on phones, computers, or gaming systems
• Set age-appropriate filters on devices and home internet access
• Limit time and only to bookmarked sites
• Shut the internet down after homework

Ages 8-10 years:

• Use only in “common areas,” like living rooms, kitchens. (Not bedrooms and bathrooms)
• Set parental controls
• Disable Instant Messaging

Ages 11-13 years:

• Insist on access to passwords
• Do periodic checks of social media accounts and browsing history
• Limit time online
• Do not allow them to be on social media

Ages 14-17 years:

• Create Internet House Rules
• Bedroom and Bathrooms are “No Device” Zones
• Do spot checks on games, computers, and phones
• Talk about Never Meeting people OR Changing sites or Exchange Phone numbers, addresses, school address, or tell where they are at (Photos can say A LOT!)
• Discuss how kids should Never use your credit/debit card, without your oversight!
• Warn kids about sexting.  (It is illegal to send nude photos if under 18 yr. old)
• There are always concerns if a kid wants to be “an influencer online”

Children need us to help them remain safe on the internet.  Communicate that you are their “safety net,” no matter what happens, and try not to be too hard on them if a difficult situation arises.  We are all learning together.  If there is a scenario which is extreme, do not hesitate to call the police.  For example, if someone wants to meet a child, or you find an inappropriate phone of a young person.  

Good resources to keep in mind:

• Indiana Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline: 1-800-800-5556
• Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce website: https://www.in.gov/isp/icactf/
• Cyber Tipline: www.cybertipline.org
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children website: https://www.missingkids.org/home
• Report information about missing children to 1-800-TheLost

Thanks to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Greenfield Indiana Police Department for sharing content.

This September, we at Family Connections Network, PCAIN and The Villages, take the opportunity to honor our FCN Families commitment to serving their family with ALL of their being. Every day, they show incredible dedication and love as a kinship caregiver, which is seen and appreciated. We understand their role as caregiver can feel tough and maybe even thankless at times, but The Villages stands with them in both success and trials.

Their trust and willingness to share their journey means the world to us and reinforces the importance of building a community to protect and support our children. They are never alone on this path of caregiving, and we celebrate them for all that they do and the bright futures they are helping to create!

Prevent Child Abuse Indiana (PCAIN) is working in concert with Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA), using their “Theory of Change” model, to “help our nation build an aligned and comprehensive primary prevention ecosystem to advance the aspirations for all children and families.”  The idea is to shrink or eliminate gaps in our network of child abuse prevention advocates, to make it impossible for families to “slip through the cracks,” regardless of where or how they enter or encounter our network. We desire to make it easy for families to find help and succeed in parenting healthy, nurtured, and well supported children. To learn more about and access the PCAA “Theory of Change” document, find the link here.

We need your help in identifying new or diverse groups with whom we may collaborate and build our comprehensive ecosystem. PCAIN has begun a series of recorded webinars to identify groups with whom our councils or PCAIN may engage with to promote the mission of primary child abuse prevention.

Please let us know of groups, whether they are traditional partners in the child abuse prevention space, or non-traditional, with whom you or your organization have enjoyed productive collaboration, where they may help to further the message of primary child abuse prevention in your area of Indiana.  Contact Jeff Wittman to share ideas for future collaboration partners to help “build a comprehensive child abuse prevention ecosystem.” 

Together, prevention is possible.