The internet can be a strange and scary place, and for parents it can be even stranger and scarier. Not only do we have to navigate it ourselves, but we have to make sure our children are safe too. There are so many different websites, apps, and social networks to monitor that the job can seem rather overwhelming, but it must be done in order to keep our children away from the dangers that are present on the web. Here are some useful tips on how to make the internet much safer for your children, as well as yourself.
Keep Up To Date
It’s important that parents study the new updates and technologies that are coming out all the time. If something seems unusual or unexpected, check it out before you allow your children to use the program or the app. By doing so, you can make truly informed decisions.
Another way to do this is never to let your children be on their own when they’re using the internet. Of course, you don’t have to stand over them and watch their every move, but if you are in the same room as them and always confine their internet usage to the shared rooms of the house,then there is more chance of helping them if there is a problem. If you always know what they are doing, you won’t have any cause for concern.
Use Parental Controls
In today’s world of public hotspots and Wi-Fi, you need to teach your children to only use Wi-Fi that is safe and legitimate. The best way to do this is to show them why the safety of public Wi-Fi is so important and how they can determine the best ones to use. Tell them that the best places to use Wi-Fi is in their home, at school, or at the houses of friends and family members. You should also only use Wi-Fi with passwords; most cafes will have them nowadays, you just have to ask for them! Other things to teach them include: only use websites with HTTPS, turn on your firewall and make sure their devices aren’t set to content to public Wi-Fi automatically.
Educate The Kids
By educating your children about the dangers of being online (without scaring them, of course), you can protect them. If they know what the potential problems are, even if you don’t go into massive detail, they will be much more likely to take care. If they don’t know what to expect, they won’t know how to protect themselves or what to look out for, so they may accidentally stumble on something untoward.
Limited Screen Time
Another way to keep your kids safe online is to restrict how much screen time they have. This way, if they are only online for small amounts of time, earlier on in the day, there is less chance that they will meet anyone predatory. Electronic devices should be banned during mealtimes (they distract anyone using them so they may end up eating more than they normally would, and they won’t join in with any conversations) and, in order to help the child sleep better, should be shut off at least an hour before bedtime.
EMF Protection
Another thing you may want to consider is protecting your child from EMF radiation that is coming from their electronic devices. There are EMF shielding materials that come in various forms from a sticker to put on your wifi router and tablets, to necklaces and bracelets.
Following these various tips will help you find peace of mind while your child uses electronics.
