Technology is no longer a luxury, but a necessity and the use of it becomes bigger and bigger part from everyone’s daily routine. We need it at work, at home, at school and almost everywhere we are. Most modern devices offer easy access to Internet – from PCs and laptops, to tablet computers, phones and even eBook readers and cameras. As a result, children are more exposed to the dangers of the web. And this dangers are too many, unfortunately! Parents often feel helpless when it comes to this since they cannot block the Internet out of their kids’ life. However, they are a few safety tips we lined up that can help you keep children away from online dangers.
- Outline some basic rules – You need to sit down with your kids and discuss all the things they are allowed to do and use online and those which they are not. For example, specify whether they are allowed to use social websites, search engines and other web services and platforms. If you want to forbid your kid from using a specific site, then you need to outline the reasons for your decision. In addition, impose a time limit. We suggest two hours a day. In that way you will make sure that your children won’t spend too much purposeless time on the computer.
- Keep the computer out of the children’s room – Computer devices are huge distractors. When kids are around them, they have a hard time concentrating and performing tasks like reading, writing or studying. Therefore, set a special area for computer use so that you can follow their web activities. Ideally, computers should be installed in the home office or study room, but not in the bedroom.
- Teach your kids how to keep their identity safe and private – Inform your kids that they should not communicate with strangers online. Moreover, emphasize how dangerous that could be. Advice your child to use a different identity. For instance, to avoid registering with their real name in game sites. Also, tell them to never reveal any private information about themselves or your family. That includes names, address, age, gender and etc.
- Show them you trust them – All these rules may seem freedom-limiting to your kids. So, after you have stated all the rights and wrongs on the Internet, tell them that you trust them. Otherwise, they may break the rules on purpose as a simple act of rebelliousness.
- Install special software – Put filtering software on your laptops or PCs. These programs can ban certain sites from being accessed. In addition, they can even send you real-time alerts whenever your kid is online. Here we can highly recommend the Kaspersky products
, which offer customizable parental control option.
- Discuss bullying – This is one of the biggest problems today for teenagers. Moreover, it is now spreading among children of younger ages. That is why it is important to talk about bullying. First, share your personal experience on the problem and then ask your kids to do the same. In addition, try to stay informed about your children’s school relationships. To do that, try establishing and open and honest communication with your kids. Also, regularly talk to teachers and school counselors about your children. But remember, many teachers do not really care about the emotional wellbeing of their students as we have experienced at Dubai’s Repton school. Stay alerted to every small sign you observe. In addition, remember to always view things from both sides. Do not assume that your child can only fall victim of bullying. Consider the other possibility in which your kid may become the bully. You need to explain how bad this practice is and how it harm others both emotionally and physically.
The Internet may be described also as a necessary evil. You may not want it in your kids’ lives, but you must accept and deal with it the best way possible. If you set rules and if you are honest with your children about the dangers of the web and people’s action there, you will solve half of your problem. A reliable antivirus software can help you with the rest.
