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The Internet can be a scary place, so it is important to know how to keep your kids safe while they are online. It is important for parents and children to engage in conversations about why Internet safety is so important. Educating your kids is the first step; if they know what to look for and avoid and why, they will be able to protect themselves online as well. Here are some more tips for keeping children safe on the world wide web:
- Utilize parental control settings on your Internet browser. If there are no parental controls available on your browser, invest in parental control software for your computer. Parental controls allow you to block you children from accessing certain content, websites and chat rooms. It also gives the option of blocking specific e-mail addresses.
- Keep computers in central locations in your house like the living room or kitchen - not in a bedroom. This way, you will be able to keep an eye on what your child is doing online.
- Limit the amount of time children can spend on the computer each day. Some parental control settings will allow you to set the amount of time per day users have access to the Internet.
- Only allow your children to use the computer when you are home.
- Always know who your child is talking to.
- Take action if you notice strange behavior, from your child or from someone your child is talking to. If your child hides windows when you enter the room or is clearing their history when they finish using the computer, ask questions. If someone your child is talking to online seems suspicious, add them to the block list through parental controls.
- Do not allow your child to set up meetings in person through the Internet unless you are allowed to come along to the meeting.
For more information on Internet safety for kids, click here.
Comments
Nice article. However, it is not always possible to let kids access the net in our presence. There are many free parental control software that are available on the net. I came across SafeSquid Personal a few months back, and it has helped a lot. It is totally free for up to 3 users, enough for a small family with 3 children. It not only blocks inappropriate websites based on Keywords and phrases, but also enforces 'safesearch', so that inappropriate search results are not displayed. It also gives detailed, drill-down log reports, that I can review in my own time, and check what the children visit the most. Then, if required, I can allow access to certain websites (or complete access) only during specific time, so that they do not indulge themselves too much on such sites. I also use the free URL blacklist database from Shallalist with SafeSquid, to block access to certain website categories.
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It's obvious that "David" works for SafeSquid... probably doesn't even have kids.
So, up front, I work for PC Pandora monitoring software. I don't hide that fact - why should I? There is truth in the fact that it is imperative for parents to monitor everything their kids do online. There is too much at risk. Too much blind trust is handed to a child using a very powerful, adult tool. Don’t be afraid to be a parent and exercise control of the internet…
And we wonder why kids are out of control these days and have no morals…
www.pcpandora.com
I can safely say I don't work for SafeSquid OR PC Pandora. But last week, I found my 11 year old son "chatting" on X-Box live, a big no-no. It was unplugged immediately. Parental controls need to extend beyond the computer.
I am considering the new router from Netgear that is supposed to cover all wifi gadgets, gaming & internet. I'd like to know more about this, and how safe it is?
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