Concerned about what your kids might be doing on the internet? Well, you should be! Child internet safety is becoming more and more spoken of with the number of gadgets and internet enabled devices available in the market.
The ‘internet child’ would be a best way to explain today’s scenario with the kids roaming around with Iphones, Ipods, netbooks, logging on to various social networking sites and chat mediums. You would be surprised at how much net savvy kids know about technology.
How To Monitor All these things especially when you are not technically very sound? Here are few things.
1. Talk to your kid(s)
Make sure they know that the computer is accessible by any member of the house and that what one does on the web can be seen by an adult member of the family. Discuss in general about the pros and cons of the internet. Your parenting plays a vital role here. Let them know that you have given them the freedom to use the internet in a positive manner and not otherwise.
2. Computer Filtering and Monitoring Programs
If you are still raking your head about child internet safety and don’t want temptation lurking on the web, try a few softwares, programs than enable blocking of inappropriate content. A number of them are available in the market – Spector Pro, OnlineFamilyNorton, WebWatcher, PCtattletale. Read each product description and purchage the one most suitable to your needs.
3. Educate yourself
Learn about internet. A lot of adults are ignorant about what the web entails. With the amount of information loading on the web you can imagine the vastness in which the virtual world operates. Learn internet to know its features; search engines Google, Yahoo enable you to choose search settings for moderate to strict level filtering. Keep up with your kids by learning the latest lingo to spot pedophiles, stalkers, sexual deviants posing as friends or teenagers. Warn your kids about meeting any chat friends in real. This is one place where you can play the dictator for the right reasons.
4. Make a separate computer room & monitor the hours
Make a study or a small computer room which cannot be locked. Monitor the hours spent using the computer as it has replaced the playground and extracurricular activities kids otherwise used to involve themselves in. Socializing has shifted to Facebook, twitter helps following your friends. Too many hours spends on the internet can make your kids slack and also affect their health. Hence make sure you restrict usage to a limited number of hours.
5. Visit the most frequently visited sites
Net savvy kids know the trick of deleting browsing history on the computer to leave no trace of their whereabouts on the web. If your kid uses Internet explorer, check for IM chats, contacts, downloaded content. Visit the most frequented sites and email providers to see if ads or content on the pages is inappropriate and not what you want your kids to view.
Trust is the key so trust your kid and educate them about online predators. Please leave me a comment and let me know how you cope up with your internet savvy kids. Don’t forget to subscribe our RSS to receive latest updates.
