The Smart Parents’ Guide To Protecting Your Kids Online
The online landscape is changing all the time, and as a parent this can be a worry to you. How can you keep your kids safe from all the threats that are out there? It feels like an impossible task, but you can do it if you do your research and work with your child. Here’s a guide to help you keep your kids safe online.
Use the privacy controls
On social media, there will always be privacy controls that will help you keep yourself and your children safe. On your children’s accounts, enable privacy settings so they aren’t visible to strangers using the service.
Use kid safe browsers and search engines
If you look around online, there’s kid-safe versions of all your favourite browsers and search engines. Look into their child friendly modes, and activate them. This way, you know your child is less likely to see anything inappropriate online.
Add your kids to your friends lists
“It’s easier to keep tabs on what your children are doing if you’re ‘friends’ with them online. Connect with them on the social media sites they’re using, and stay in touch with them,” says educational expert Laura Wynne at AustralianHelp.com. “If you add your child online, it can actually encourage them to use the site safely. It’s a good idea to add them on any social media site they use, to keep them safe.”
Use app locks
Small children can easily spend lots of money through apps without you even noticing. The best thing to do is enable locks, that won’t allow anything to be purchased unless you put in the password.
Talk about strangers online
Just as you’d talk to your kids about strangers in real life, talk to them about strangers online. Instil in them the importance of not speaking to anyone they don’t know online, and never to accept messages or friend requests from them.
Look for useful resources
There’s a lot of useful resources that your children can use online. Do your research and share with them the safest ones you find. Here are a few to get you started:
- com: A site featuring writing guides.
- com: Helpful grammar advice.
- com: Essay writing tutoring, that is recommended by Write an Essay on HuffingtonPost.
- com: Gives the correct citation for any source.
- com: A writing service that can help with school work.
Be aware of the sites your kids like to use
It’s a good idea to keep tabs on the sites your kids like to use. Just like you’d monitor the books they read and the TV shows they watch, monitor the sites they’re using. That way, you’ll know if the content ever changes, or they start using services that you would rather they wouldn’t.
Be wary of online polls and surveys
“Online polls may look like harmless fun, but they can actually be dangerous,” says privacy expert Fiona Gale from EliteAssignmentHelp.com. “Warn your children to avoid them, as they can be used to get their data. If in doubt, navigate away from the page.”
Encourage your child to talk to you
Finally, encourage your child to talk to you about what they do online. It’s an especially good idea to let them know they can come to you whenever they feel uncomfortable online, or they begin to suffer from online bullying. The sooner they bring the problem to you, the sooner you can help them with it.
These tips will help you give your child a safe experience online, and keep you up to date with changes in the online landscape. The more you stay informed, the safer your kids will be.
Author:
Mary Walton is a writer at Australian Writing, service that helps Australian students.
