The internet opens the world to children – and it’s an opportunity to learn more as so much course work and classroom teaching relies on digital platforms. With the school holidays in full swing, many children will be spending more time online, finding inspiration for creative projects to keep busy or logging on to keep in touch with friends and loved ones who are far away.
Unfortunately, the internet can also be a dangerous place for kids when left unsupervised or without adequate parental control measures in place exposing them to inappropriate content, online predators, and cyberbullying.
With this in mind, Mweb offers the following tips to help parents and carers ensure safety online:
Educate yourself
Often, parents have no clue about the latest Internet trends and platforms. Spend time learning what’s out there so that you understand what your children may be exposed to and you know how to protect them.
Educate them
As soon as your children start accessing the internet, teach them that the internet is not private. Everything they do or say is now in a public forum so stress the importance of behaving, interacting with people, and representing themselves just as they would in normal life.
Keep it visible
Consider keeping computers and laptops in a central spot so that you can watch what your child is doing and viewing online.
Put parenting controls in place: Parental controls are features and settings that you will find in operating systems, search engines, internet browsers or stand-alone apps and software. They also assist in creating a safe space for your kids to explore online.
Get the right tools
There are several solutions for parents which enable them to set screen time limits that apply to devices, apps, and games. When screen time runs out, you can choose to add more or not, based on what’s right for you and your family. By using the app’s content filtering settings, you can set boundaries, block inappropriate apps and games, and limit browsing to child-friendly sites. These tools also offer device protection from cyber risks, privacy protection and safer online banking.
