How to Keep Your Kids Safer Online
These days, it’s more important than ever before to take steps to keep your children safe online. The threats out there are numerous, and the access children today have to the internet can be unlimited if the right steps aren’t taken by parents and caregivers. This is why child safety online is so important.
If you’re a concerned parent about child safety online and you want to do more to ensure your kids are properly protected online and that they don’t make any mis-steps along the way, you’re in the right place. We’re going to talk about some of the things you can do to keep your parents safe online, so read on to find out more.
Track Time Spent Online
First of all, you should pay attention to just how much time they’re spending online. It’s not good for developing children to be spending too much of their time online or staring at screens. If you feel that this might be becoming an issue for your children, you should try to encourage them to do other activities that get them away from the online world and doing something in the real world. It might be just what they need.
Don’t Ignore Parental Controls
Many devices and online platforms have parental controls attached to them for child safety online, and you can make the most of these to ensure your kids aren’t exposed to things that they’re too young for. Parental controls are there for a reason and you should make the most of them if you’re not doing so already. It’s something you should definitely be making use of when your kids are still quite young.
Ensure Devices and Screens Are Used Where You Can See Them
When your kids are young and you want to keep an eye on what they’re doing, you should try to make sure their screens are always used in places where you can see what they’re doing. You don’t want them to be free to explore whatever they want online because, as we know, there are many things out there they shouldn’t be exposed to at a young age. As they get a little older, you’ll need to give them more privacy, but while they’re young, keep an eye on things.
Keep Locations Private
One source of danger that often gets overlooked by parents looking to keep their kids safe online is location setting and GPS. Many apps will track and even display the location of the device that’s being used. And that’s why it’s so important to keep your locations private, and that’s especially true for any devices or platforms that your children are using.
Ensure They’re Not Using Platforms That They’re Too Young For
There are certain platforms that, for a variety of reasons, have specific age limits attached to them. For example, if you want to use Instagram in accordance with the platform’s rules, you have to be at least 13 years old. So if you find out that your child who’s younger than that is using the platform, you should figure out how to deactivate instagram and get them off the platform. These age limits are in place for good reason and should be respected for the good of your child.
Discuss Online Safety with Your Children
Being open and communicative can definitely pay off for you as a parent and for your children. That’s why you should go ahead and discuss your child safety online with them. Of course, you need to be careful here and tailor the conversation to the age of your child and what they’re able to understand and appreciate. Safety is important though, so it makes sense to talk about it with them and to help them understand why it matters.
Know Who Your Children’s Friends Are and Who They Communicate with Online
It’s a good idea to be a parent who’s active in the lives of their children. Try to get to know who their real world friends are and who they’re communicating with online. Ideally, you don’t want them to be communicating online with anyone they don’t know and you don’t know in real life. There’s a huge potential for danger when things like that start to happen, so try to intervene here.
As you can see, there are lots of bases that need to be covered when it comes to keeping your kids as safe as they possibly can be online. Each step you take will offer an extra layer of protection to your kids when they’re online, so make the most of the tips discussed above.
