With the increasing use of the Internet by children and young people, the family’s challenge to accompany and guide their children grows. It is very important that family members establish care, after all, even though children and adolescents are skilled in digital applications and devices, they do not always know the best ways to use the Internet and protect themselves on the network – thus making them potential targets for the dangers on the web.
Below you will find some specific Internet safety tips for children and teenagers:
1. Have open dialogue
One of the first things to do is to maintain a healthy dialogue, regardless of the age of the child or adolescent. They need to have access to information about virtual dangers and the importance of always being aware when they are online. More than that, children and adolescents need a figure that removes all their doubts, as well as inspiring questions to keep them alert.
2. Monitor content
Another valuable tip is to check all content that is being published and accessed on the Internet. Children and teenagers tend to be more curious, so they like to explore websites, as well as create their own content on social networks – which is encouraged, in a way, by digital influencers, especially those on YouTube. It is very interesting to review all the accesses that the child is doing at the end of the day. It is a good way to know the type of content consumed and whether it is healthy or not. Upon being aware of this, the dialogue becomes even more productive.
3. Take care of personal data
It is important for children and adolescents to be aware that their personal data must be kept confidential. They should only be used with the certainty that they will be used safely, by reliable and credible companies; otherwise, they must remain private.
In this part, the dialogue continues to maintain strong importance and should be reinforced, as it is extremely important that children do not pass on this information freely. Therefore, there is little care when it comes to Internet security, especially in relation to children and adolescents who do not yet know the breadth of the network they are browsing.
4. Control access times
Access times reflect not only the child’s safety, but also their health. It is essential to have adequate moments for using the Internet, preferably where someone of legal age is accompanying the navigation.
Establish times when devices are allowed to be used, such as computers and cell phones, and impose certain limits. You can use one of the best parental monitoring app i.e. FamilyTime to implement these limits. This will create controlled behavior and avoid hazards that can be solved by simple monitoring – which brings us to the next point.
5. Other tips:
Browse together with the little ones in their first years of contact with the Internet. Do not prohibit the little ones from entering social networks, although they are not recommended for children under 13. If you do, they will sneak in. Suggest that they never add strangers. Warning: children do not have 300 friends. Do not try to control every step online a teen. Talk to him about virtual life and show him how to avoid risks.
These are great tips. I did not have to worry about this when I had my kids, but now I worry about it for my grandchildren.
Great list of tips to keep in mind for kids as they are online more and more these days. There are so many risks and it is good to be aware and think ahead of how to handle situations.
I used to work with a woman that did internet safety classes for middle school students twice a year. She also did the sames plus for the parents that signed up for the class. A lot of the stuff you have listed was on her her list. Going to share this with her.