The internet is an irreplaceable source of fun and learning for your children. However, it can be dangerous as well–your children are at risk from many potential sources of privacy violation, in addition to encountering inappropriate content or becoming the target of sexual predation.
Educating your Children about e-Safety
Protecting children from online dangers is a job for parents, as well as children themselves, through a combination of rules and education. Ensuring e safety for children requires active parenting and a little bit of tech-savvy awareness of potential threats. There are two matters to be concerned about: safeguarding children against unwanted content, and protecting the privacy of your family by preventing information from being shared carelessly.
To ensure your system’s privacy, teach your kids how to choose effective passwords (using a mix of letters, numbers, symbols, and case-sensitive characters). Passwords should not be based on personal information such as the names of friends or pets. Reinforce that passwords are private. Do not share your own passwords with your children–but ensure that you have a list of all of theirs.
Especially do not let your children have access to passwords that could seriously compromise your privacy, such as e-mail or financial accounts. If your children are making purchases online, a good tip is to set up a PayPal account with them instead of letting them use credit card information. The account can be loaded with a spending allowance, thus minimizing risk. Careful password handling is essential in e-Safety for Children. In addition to the above, make sure their computer’s firewall is set up and working correctly.
Follow these simple e-Safety for Children Tips
While the internet is packed with both excellent educational resources and family-friendly entertainment for children (and for parents), certainly there is equally as much content you want your kids to avoid. Safeguarding children from offensive web content may appear to be a full-time job, but there are simple steps to take to minimize the risk.
- Firstly, install good antivirus and spyware removal software, and keep it updated and running properly.
- Next, adjust their web browser settings to filter out ads and pop-ups; you may need to download an add-on application or two depending on what browser they use. Adjusting web browser settings to filter out objectionable material may take some time and tweaking; this leads to the most important part of
e Safety for Children; - Communication: Talk to your kids and spend time with them online to teach them good habits and help them find what sites they want to spend time on. You may want to restrict younger children to specific sites, under supervision, and set up rules about which sites are OK, and for how long per day.
Keeping a Watchful Eye Open
The greatest danger to children online is an encounter with a sexual predator; thankfully this is easy to prevent by being aware of your child’s online activity.
Chat programs are built into many websites, including Facebook–talk to your kids about who their online friends are, and what they chat about.
Warn them to never reveal personal information to someone they’ve never met. Ensuring e-Safety for children is relatively simple and easy, as long as parents stay an active part of their online experience.