Keeping Children Safe Online with 15 Proven Tips

From the beginning of the 1970s, the Internet has evolved into one of the world’s largest and essential tools for global communication. Globally, 3.5 billion people have access to the Internet, which means that 45% of the world’s population browses the Internet regularly every year. However, the Internet is a great tool that can be used in many areas of education. Education is fun, but it also has a dark side, especially for children.

 The Internet provides children with unusual opportunities for communication, creativity, and the development of new skills. Of course, we want our children to benefit from technology, but this must be achieved without putting their lives at risk. We also need to be aware of the dark side of the Internet, which can include loss of privacy, access to malicious content, cyberbullying, and blackmail, and online deception.

Worried about your child’s online safety? Looking for tips to keep your children safe online? Not sure where to start when it comes to protecting your children? If so, then you have come to the perfect place. Here are 15 tips to help make kids stronger and safer online.

What are the Dangers?

The best way to protect your child from the most common dangers on the Internet is to know what to look for. Here are some common threats or threats on the Internet, you need to be careful about:

1. Sexual Predators
2. Inappropriate Content
3. Cyberbullying
4. Cybercrime

Tips for Keeping Children Safe Online

1. Have a conversation with your child:

The main factor that is mainly considered during children’s online safety is the importance of involving children in the conversation. We live in a world where even the smallest children make better use of Internet-connected devices. Knowing about the upcoming dangers of using these devices and why you place certain restrictions is an important part of keeping them safe. The easiest thing you can do is be at ease when it comes to what they see and do on the Internet, like what type of videos they like, what comments they have viewed, and finally, how they deal with it. In the real world, talk to them about what’s good and what’s not on the Internet.

 

2. Set Boundaries:

The best you can do is to set boundaries or ground rules before your child has their own cell phone. Discuss with them the amount of time they spend on the Internet. Use the age limits listed in apps and games to make your choice. If you become sure that your child can use a certain app, be sure to participate in the process. You can download and configure it. Don’t forget to discuss any concerns about the application and accept the ground rules. For example, they cannot accept friend requests from people they don’t know in real life.

 

3. Use Parental Control Software:

Children are not mature enough to make wise decisions on harmful content on the Internet. If they are using the device, you must keep an eye on them. Agree on how you will control what they do on the Internet. Keep talking to them so that as they get older, you can find the right balance between security and respect for their privacy.

And for all these, Parental control software is the best tool to help you ensure your child uses the Internet safely. There are multiple parental controls that keep your kids safe from digital dangers. Fenced.ai is an all-in-one parental control solution that helps parents monitor their children for safe Internet use.

 

4. Research wisely:

You need to understand the environment in which your child works and the risks related to that. If your child wants to play a particular game, visit sites such as Childnet or Common Sense Media for information on risks, minimum age, privacy settings, and much more.

 

5. Use Privacy and Safety Settings on Every Apps and Game:

Almost every app and game has settings that allow you to control who can see your content. They are installed by default when you first install a social networking application. If you allow your child to use an app or game, be sure to review the privacy settings. Download apps or games with your kids and let them show how to enable privacy settings.

 

6. Don’t Download Unknown Applications:

Protect your child’s device by preventing them from downloading any unknown apps without your permission. You will have to give them advice on what to download and what not to download to your child’s device. There are various malware programs that are spam, and your children have no idea about them, so they just download, and then the virus is activated. You should only practice downloading files from trusted sources to your device. You can also use the site advisor. That helps to detect authorized websites to download to your child’s device.

 

7. Keep Your Profile Private:

With the rise in popularity of social media, collecting personal information has become easier nowadays. Children need to be taught not to post pictures and information about themselves on the Internet. As a parent, it is your responsibility to teach your children to keep their data safe. Do not post about your home address. Do not do things you like and interesting things because online predators can use them later on. Don’t share your profile with people who are not known.

 

8. Create a strong password:

The only way to protect your personal online accounts is by using a strong password, but mostly children, as well as parents, use very weak passwords. The use of weak passwords can be used against you to compromise your internet security and disclose your data. Hence, using the correct password is essential to protect your data.

Use a password manager like LastPass to manage your child’s internet profile passwords.

 

9. Never Response to Fake Email:

You should encourage your children to ignore inappropriate messages and emails. Cyberbullying is one of the biggest problems that is growing rapidly, and your child can become a victim if you don’t pay attention to these actions. Children become the victims of bullying, so you should always talk openly with your children. Therefore, once your child responds to inappropriate emails, they cannot be deleted from the other side, and the information will be shared everywhere.

 

10.  Know who has access to Your Child:

We usually hear about the threats of strangers interacting with children online, but it’s also important to consider who might connect with your children when they play online. Make it a rule to check your child’s friend list regularly. Ask your child to show it to you and watch it together. Be suspicious of those who say they are “friends” unless they have met the person in person.

 

11.  Keep Your Antivirus Updated:

Viruses and malware to hack Internet security are on the rise because most people do not use antivirus software. And in the absence of antivirus, attackers can easily infect your system with viruses. So, you must protect your child’s device by updating it on a regular basis. That protects your child from computer viruses and their transmission. Helps to protect your data and personal information. Protect your kids and their passwords and provide firewall protection against and malware attacks.

 

12.  Notice the signs of CyberBullying:

One of the benefits of constantly interacting with children and observing their online activities is that it is much easier to notice any changes in their behavior. These changes may indicate other issues, but if they start feeling anxious about their device or depressed after being online, this could be the cause of cyberbullying.

 

13.  Let them use devices in the common area:

In the past, you could keep your computer in the living room. In the age of mobile devices, this is even more difficult to do. It would be best if you still prohibited children with mobiles in the bedroom, especially at night. Be extremely careful when children use headphones. Keeping devices on the table and away from the car can be a challenge, but it’s worth the conversations you’ll have when your child finally admits that this rule still exists.

 

14.  Let them you are always with them:

Children do not talk to their parents when something goes wrong on the Internet if they have problems because of what they did. Their biggest fear is that their parents will take their devices away. This is often a bad idea for parents as it can create underground activity on the Internet. Talk to them as often as possible about what to do if things don’t go as planned and make it clear that, no matter what, you are always by their side.

 

15.  Don’t share their location unnecessarily:

Your smartphone will usually save the location where you took the photo. Look for ways to turn off the geolocation setting on your child’s device. Messaging and social media apps love to share your location as well. Don’t forget to look at your device or app privacy settings to disable it. Most new phones use this setting by default. You will need to enable it only for finding your phones or using Map.