A Brief History
On February 13, 2009, the Internet Safety Act was introduced to the United States House of Representatives by Representative Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas, and the United States Senate by Senator John Cornyn, also a Republican from Texas. Neither bill was passed by Congress.
Whether it be on the internet or elsewhere, if there is one thing that takes priority over all else in life, it is your family’s safety. These days, it is even more difficult to make sure that your family is safe at all times, mostly because of the rise of the internet and the perils that it can bring. But, of course, it is not just the world of online that you need to safeguard in order to keep your family safe. So, here are some of the key tips and rules for you to use and follow to enforce a high level of protection.
Digging Deeper
Internet Safety: Update programs and read policies
It used to be that you would need to pay for a rather expensive anti-virus program to stop your computer from receiving harmful viruses. Now, the internet has evolved to be much better at killing computer viruses, and PCs come with Windows Defender; however, it is important to keep the anti-virus program updated so that it can tackle any new viruses that may come to your computer. Enforcing parental controls and talking about only using safe sites are also important steps towards ensuring safety online.
It’s also important to stay on top of your parental controls and the privacy policies that get accepted. The best way to ensure online safety, and make sure that your family’s data isn’t misused, is to read privacy policies carefully and decline the ones that you deem to be unsafe.
People Safety: Perform background checks
While the internet can bring some dangers if misused, it can also provide valuable information to help you enhance your approach to keeping your family safe. One such way is to perform online background checks on people you don’t know, to make sure that younger members of your family are not in danger when in the neighborhood.
Doing background checks is not just for the rest of your family, though, as they can also be used to check up on people you’re about to meet, potential dating partners, checking online sellers, and finding public court records. The best online background check services does all of this for you quickly and presents the data in an easy to read manner, making it easier to be aware of potentially dangerous people.
Criminal Deterrent: Get a dog
This suggestion is one of the more simple and enjoyable – unless you are allergic – ways to keep your family and home safe. Getting a dog has been found to be a prime deterrent for burglary. According to the police, regardless of the breed, dogs provide one of the best ways of keeping strangers away, but, of course, the more determined criminals will not be as fazed by a Chihuahua as they would a German shepherd.
Fire Safety: Always be prepared
Most people will not have experienced a dangerous fire in the home before, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t happen. Even something as simple as an unknowingly faulty phone charger can cause a fire. Smoke detectors are, of course, the go-to way to make sure that your family escapes a fire, but it is also important to make sure that everyone knows where to meet after fleeing a fire, their last name, and address so that they can phone the emergency services. One of the best pieces of equipment to have around the house is a fire extinguisher to contain fires and give your family a greater chance of getting out.
There are many different ways that you can enhance the safety of your family and yourself, and starting with these measures will go a long way towards ensuring that you achieve a high level of safety.
Question for students (and subscribers): How and why have safety concerns changed over time? What if any safety concerns have seemed constant throughout the scope of time covered in our course? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Hein, Sandy. Keeping You and Your Family Safe In Today’s Hectic World: Basic Safety Tips Anyone Can Use. Waldorf Publishing, 2018.
Wheeler, Timothy and E. John Wipfler. Keeping Your Family Safe: The Responsibilites of Firearms Ownership. Merril Press, 2009.
The featured image in this article, uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by cptnono from W.H. Shumard family, circa 1955, depicts an American nuclear family composed of the mother, father, and children circa 1955. This image, originally posted to Flickr, was reviewed on December 10, 2009 by the administrator or reviewer File Upload Bot (Magnus Manske), who confirmed that it was available on Flickr under the stated license on that date. This file, Item 31160, Ben Evans Recreation Program Collection (Record Series 5801-02), Seattle Municipal Archives, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
