How To Keep Your Child Safe On The Internet
Whether you're worried about what kids might see on YouTube or whom they might speak to on Facebook, we have the best tips for How To Keep Your Child Safe On The Internet. To preserve the best of what's online for your kids and avoid the unnecessary information:1) Don't ban it completely:
Preventing your children from using the Internet or mobile phones won't keep them safe in the long run. It's important to have conversations that help your child understand how to stay safe and what to do if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable.2) Step into their cyber world:
Parents have to get involved. Just as they know every detail of the playground around the corner -- the jungle gym, the swings -- they need to know their kids' online playground as well. However, you need to carefully tread the delicate line between trust and probing into their personal space. This is important in making sure that the child feels he is trusted but just needs to be wary. This is one of the best tips on How To Keep Your Child Safe On The Internet.
3) Set Houserules:
Decide how much time you're comfortable with your children being online and which sites they may go to. You might post a short list or even a signed contract next to the computer. So there's no confusion, talk about the rules -- and the consequences for breaking them. Everything is great in moderation — especially the Internet. But that doesn’t mean parents should just limit the time their children spend on the web. Parents should also communicate where children can and cannot visit. This keeps the child organized.4) Teach them to protect their privacy:
Children need to know that every time they accept a stranger as a friend online, they are potentially putting themselves at risk. Risk that their photo could be shared without their permission or that a message they receive from a ‘friend’ is actually someone who is not who they say they are. While they won't fully understand the consequences of revealing personal information online, you should still make sure your children know:- Never to give their name, phone number, e-mail address, password, postal address, school, or picture without your permission
- Not to open e-mail from people they don't know
- Not to respond to hurtful or disturbing messages or cyber bullying
- Not to get together with anyone they "meet" online
- Never send pictures to strangers.
5) Know that location is key:
Keep the computer in a central spot, where it's easy to monitor its use. That way you can frequently check up on what they're looking at without being intrusive. This is one of the best tips on How To Keep Your Child Safe On The Internet.6) Be their go-to girl:
Instruct your child to come straight to you when she sees anything that makes her uncomfortable, and assure her that you won't overreact, blame her, or immediately rescind her online privileges.7) Does your child play online games? Follow these points:
Almost every game allows you to interact with others. This is problematic because it’s providing a new forum for people to reach children.
- Check the age rating before they play
- Make sure you know who they're playing with
- Talk to them about what information is OK to share with other players
- Negotiate the amount of time they spend playing online games.
8) Set up privacy controls on their phone:
Setting up Privacy Control is crucial. Also, tell them stories about what can happen if they post personal info online. If they know how their actions will affect them they will be more likely to follow the rules. This is one of the best tips on How To Keep Your Child Safe On The Internet.9) Switch off the Wifi at 9pm:
Yes, this one may sound scary for those people who check their phones last thing at night and first thing in the morning but as parents we are here to set an example for our children and would we want them to be doing this? 9pm is a good time to switch off the house wifi and for everyone to have some time-out from the Internet. Try it for a week and see what happens.'Start discussing online safety at an early age'
Author: Mr. Sujeet Sinha, HOD ICT
JBCN International School, Oshiwara.
