Netiquette for Kids

These days, kids are exposed to the cyber world earlier than they are exposed to the real world. Five year olds can effortlessly browse through various websites or even compose mails. Older kids may get exposed to dangerous lures present all over the cyber world. To protect our children from the hazards of cyber crimes it is a must to teach them some online manners. Even the cyber world follows certain ethics which its netizens are required to abide by. Netiquette or Internet etiquette is a code of conduct for netizens.

What is the Netiquette for Kids

Netiquette rules for kids define a code of conduct which the kids need to follow while interacting online. Cyber world follows all the ethics of a real world. Hence, if something is not acceptable in the real world, it is also unacceptable in the cyber world.

Know the Rules
Every website on the Internet has its own rules and etiquette regarding what is acceptable and what is not. They may have a special code of conduct for its members. Hence, as soon as you join a website, forum, discussion or any portal on the Internet make sure you read the terms and conditions very carefully. Ignorance to these rules may lead to your ousting from the community or forum.

Respect Other Netizens
Remember, when you are interacting online, you are not able to see or feel the person at the other end. However, the other person is as real as any person in the real world. It is not the computer you are interacting to, but a person with feelings. Hence, it is important to treat this person with utmost respect. He may not belong to your state or country, not speak your language, yet it is important to be courteous to him at all times. Respect his country or religion even if you are totally unaware of it. One golden rule while interacting online is that you need to treat people the way you would want them to treat you.

Do Not Flame
Flaming refers to the 'war of words' or feud amongst Internet users. The users send each other insults via emails, posts, etc. Children should stay out of such fights. Even if someone deliberately tries to drag you in an ongoing feud by sending you bad mails, do not lose your cool and revert with equally abusive mail. Maintain your calm and try to ignore the mail. You may politely ask the sender what he means by all this.

Use Proper Emoticons
One of the biggest drawback of online communication is that the person on the other end is not able to see you. Words are the only medium of communication. A loose sentence, though completely innocent may provoke the feelings of other person, as he cannot associate your body language with your words. Hence, it is important to punctuate your conversation with appropriate emoticons. If you intend to say something jokingly, make sure the other person knows it by putting a smiley at the end of your sentence.

Follow Proper Formatting Practices
When interacting online, people use several different operating systems, Internet protocols and email services. All these systems may not be compatible with each other. Hence, while sending a file to someone, make sure you convert it into universally compatible format or choose the most simple format. Choosing advance formatting techniques may result in garbage text when you send it to an incompatible machine.

Do Not Share Private Information
The Internet is a highly unreliable medium of communication. You can never tell if the person at the other end is real or fake. He may be a pervert posing as a school girl or a con artist with nefarious intentions. The true identity of such people can be easily masked by an innocent screen name. Hence, it is a must that you do not share sensitive or private information with any Internet user. Similarly, if someone trusts you with their secret information, make sure you keep it secret. Avoid misusing private information, even though you may have an access to it.

Thus, knowing netiquette is an important part of online interaction for children. Also educate other fellow net users regarding this so that we can have a healthy cyber world.