With more and more horror stories arising this is a must read for parents.
The internet is packed with brilliant games and resources that your children will love however there is a danger that if the right safety measures are not in place, they might stumble across not so savoury content.
It is important that your family understand the potential dangers of being online. By speaking to your children about internet safety, establishing some age appropriate ground rules and checking their online habits periodically you can greatly reduce risks. Recent studies have found that a very high percentage of parents do not check their children’s online habits however it has been found that by educating your children about online safety will have a positive impact.
Here are some simple but effective tips that every parent should consider implementing in their home:
- Stranger danger: Children should understand that if they don’t know someone they should not engage with them online as they are still a stranger.
- Set parental controls: There are many parental controls available to protect our children’s viewing. Without these controls in place a child’s innocent search on the web can lead them to viewing disturbing content or images. There are many sites with videos that will show you how best to set the parental controls for your family on their computeror tablet.
- Agree safe websites that your children can view: From a young age, agree with your child what sites are safe to use. Setting these boundaries will establish healthy online usage. Be careful of websites such as youtube as it is easier for children to stumble across inappropriate content.
- Monitor your kid’s online presence: Be aware of all the social networking you’re your child is on when using a computer, tablet or smart phone. Linking with your child’s profile will help you monitor their activity. It is also useful to know their passwords in case you ever need them.
- Explain the dangers of sharing information online: Teach them to be mindful of the dangers of sharing too much information online such as personal information, contact details and photos. Teenagers often share personal photographs on different apps. They should be aware that any images that are sent are out of their control and can be passed on by others.
- Check your privacy settings: If you have children old enough to use social network sites it is important to explain the importance of setting their privacy setting to only allow friends and family to view personal details.
- By adopting these simple but effective measures you can ensure that your children get to enjoy the full benefits of the internet without any of the nasty stuff.
This blog is brought to you by DID Electrical, Ireland’s leading electrical retailer. Their staff are on hand to assist you and your family in purchasing the right tablet , smart phone, laptopor computerfor your family internet uses.
