Keep Your Children Safe Online

As more advances in the development of technology, for example, in the age of mini-computers, tablets and smartphones, most parents find it more challenge to orient their children toward the right things, but also supervise and monitor their online behavior. Our kids are certainly at the age of vulnerable stage – naturally more trusting than adults and are not well equipped to deal with the darker side on the internet. Here are some helpful advice you can apply to keep your children safe whenever and wherever they go online.

 

1.     Have the conversation early and regularly

This is probably the most important step to educate your kids. Children and teens usually spend approximately 12 hours a week online and it appears to a part of their routine early in life. That is therefore vital to start talking to them about surfing the Internet safe at their early age.

Tell them what kind of content is good or bad to them. Talk frankly to your children about how they explore such different issues related to wellbeing, health, body image and sexuality online. They may be typical lured into inappropriate or dangerous information, so show them how to ignore or reject these inaccurate messages.

Explain to the kids that sharing too much personal information and photos can put their secure in jeopardy. For instance, posting photos while on vacation may enable potential burglars to have unwanted visit to your home. You should also check the privacy settings on any of their online accounts, such as Facebook or games, as well as set their personal information private. In case they see content or are distracted by anyone that worries or upsets them, show them how to use tools to report such abuses.

2.     Explore online together

Ask your children to show their favorite things while going online, and express your interest in what they do (with appropriate online activities). This will give you a better idea of what the kids are doing, helping you a way to support and stimulate them while you can keep update and learn more of what they know.

3.     Set rules and agree boundaries

It is never too late to agree on several ground rules together, depending on your children’s ages. You might want to consider these:

·        The amount of time they can go online, both for using the internet and games consoles.

·        The websites they could visit or what activities they can participate in

·        When and to what extent they should post their images and videos

·        How to treat people online and not share anything that they would not do face-to-face

If your children play games on the internet:

·        Make sure that games is age-appropriate content

·        Ensure that you know whom they are playing with

·        Negotiate time limits for how long they can spend playing games online

Agreeing on setting some rules with your children is a good idea to help them understand the dangers as well as give them a sense of responsibility.

4.     Invest in parental-controls software

On computers and some other smart devices, you can use technical parental controls to monitor your kids’ activities and block several unsuitable websites. Based on their age, you can set controls to them and enable access to only appropriate content. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) like TalkTalk, Virgin Media, BT or Sky, can provide you free parental controls to make you easier to filter and restrict harmful content.  

As your children come older, you could change the level of control that you apply. Keeping a close eye on your beloved kids’ behavior is essential, but becoming their best friend in order for them to share all their thoughts with you might be much more important. When they are aware of the control system and ask you to remove it completely, show them you are happy to do so and require them to strictly comply your boundaries.

Conclusion

Internet access could help children explore something new, develop their ability and interest, and stay connected with family and friends. But the Internet may be extremely dangerous online predator to them if you do not properly supervise and educate them. Make sure you know how to well direct them and prevent harmful content in order for them to enjoy the benefits of going online.