Tips to Help Keep Your Children Safe Online

The internet has made life significantly easier. Now, you can connect instantly with friends and family no matter how far away they are. You can shop for just about anything you need and have it delivered right to your front door or watch a wide array of different videos.

Adults aren’t the only ones using the internet. Children are using internet-connected technologies at younger and younger ages. They’re chatting with friends, playing games, and doing research for school projects. Just because your children are young, that doesn’t mean they’re impervious to the risks associated with being online.

It’s important to have an open conversation with your children about the dangers of the internet. It may be scary for them (and for you!) but it will help your children to understand why safety is important. Being open and honest with your children also lets them know that they can trust you, and they’re more likely to go to you if they do run into trouble.

Teach your children that they should never give out any personal information online. They should never disclose their name, phone number, email address, school, or pictures to anyone without your permission.

Nor should they open emails or click on links from people they don’t know or respond to hurtful messages. Also, don’t let your children go off to meet someone in person that they met on the internet.

If your children are at an age where they’re talking to people online, know who they. Friends, classmates, and relatives are usually fine. Sometimes, however, strangers pretend to be friends or classmates to get close to children. Be watchful for cyberbullying and other behavior that could indicate that someone impersonating a friend or family member.

For the internet to be safe for your kids, you have to start with online safety for yourself. There are several ways to do this. Set up a VPN. This connects your devices to an offsite server and uses an encrypted connection. Your IP address is masked (which means that your location can’t be tracked) and it protects against information being intercepted.

Another way to ensure the safety of your connected devices is to run a network penetration test. Hackers are constantly looking for new ways to exploit systems and get a hold of information they shouldn’t have. Testing for vulnerabilities will help you to take action before potential threats have the chance to do so.

Set rules when it comes to using the internet. This can include things like how long they can be online and what sites they’re allowed to visit. You can create a contract with your children that outlines the rules and set it near the computer for them to see at all times.

You may decide that using the internet for homework doesn’t count toward their allotted time, but make sure that they’re actually using the internet to complete their assignments.

In addition to rules, you can also set parental controls. This enables you to block unwanted sites so your children don’t have the chance to accidentally stumble upon them. Certain ISPs offer free parental controls as do certain browsers. These blocks can be beneficial for keeping children of all ages safe from potentially dangerous sites.

While the internet can be a wonderful place, it can also be a dangerous one. You need to take steps to protect your children when they get online. Doing so will keep them from seeing unwanted sites or accidentally disclosing personal information. Together, you and your children can have positive experiences online.