To what extent should you control the online activity of your kids? All parents will agree that the internet can not only help kids with doing their homework but also distort their perception of what is good and bad. This other “dark side” of the online resources can do a lot of harm. If you want to save your child from getting into someone’s trap, you need to take actions. However, there is a big dilemma for every parent – how to protect kids without being intrusive? Children should feel safe and know that no one is going to violate their personal space boundaries. I’d like to suggest some of the possible options that I tried. They worked for my family and I hope will work for yours as well. Here are some tips to ensure the internet safety without being intrusive.
Surf the web together
When you only start introducing the power of the internet to your kids, spend some bonding time with and find out what websites they visit. This can be a regular activity to build trustworthy relationships with them. Just be careful not to look like an overreacting suspicious parent who wants to control their every step.
Talk to them
There is no need for being intrusive and getting your kids’ passwords to have the situation under control. You can have an educational conversation and explain the harm of online threats. Just like in real life, their online actions may have negative consequences. Make it clear to them that your family’s personal information is not something they can share online. Just try not to scare them away with your horror stories, be objective. If you do everything right, your children will trust you and ask for a piece of advice if necessary.
Do your research when your kids are at school
There are many easy ways to find out what websites are on the top list of your children without them noticing it. Learn some basic things about the browsing history and deleting the cache. You have to be on the same level of mastery with your kids, so educate yourself on these and other relevant topics.
Switch to another search engine
Some search engines like KidzSearch and Google Scholar will not let your kids visit the websites with inappropriate content. You can choose the one that fits your kid’s age and needs. It is one of the easy ways to have the things under control until your children grow up and will uncover your evil plan.
Use internet filter
This is one of the most popular ways of fighting the internet’s threats. If you decide to install the monitoring software, it will help you block the resources that have a potentially inappropriate information. However, you will still have to check if all of those websites are really worth putting on the blacklist. The manual settings will help you make the customized list. Keep in mind that there are also social media resources that can do no less harm than some strange websites. Check the settings there as well.
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