Keeping our kids safe is our job as parents, but with the internet, this can be hard to do.
Online threats aren’t always clear or easy to catch as a parent. With kids using the internet from a very young age, it’s crucial to have some internet safety practices in place.
Here are 5 different ways parents can keep their children safe online.
Talk About Internet Safety
Part of keeping kids safe online (and in daily life) is empowering them to make smart choices. Talk with your child early and openly about safe internet use. Discuss the risks of talking to strangers online, and make sure your child feels comfortable coming to you with concerns about activities online. Having open communication and trust is crucial.
Monitoring Online Activity
Keep yourself in the loop by monitoring the online activities of children. This will help you catch any concerning behavior and keep your child safe. Monitoring the many social media apps and platforms can be a challenging task, but with parental control apps, it’s much easier. Try out one of these top parental control apps for 2021.
Keep Screens Out of Bedrooms
Keep screens and devices connected to the internet in public areas of the house. You don’t need to look over your child’s shoulder all day, but keeping screens in the common areas will help you keep an eye on online activities.
Set Up Parental Controls
Implement parental controls and restrictions that are reasonable for your child’s age. Using these controls, you can block explicit material on search engines and social media. Additionally, you should help your child set all of their profiles and accounts to private and only allow people your child knows in person to follow.
Limited Time Online
The dangers of the internet are not limited to predators or explicit content. Too much screen time has harmful effects on developing brains as well. Set a limit for online time, especially for younger children. If need be, you can also turn off the home WiFi at a set time each night. Come up with alternative activities to help your child develop good habits. Whenever possible, make the no-screen time enjoyable. Try family game nights, walks, playing sports outside, and more.
Keeping kids safe online is a big challenge that parents face in the digital age. By implementing the internet safety practices above, you can help your kid stay safe online.
