Online safety tips every parent should know
Many parents today can remember a time where the internet was not widely available. But for your kids, this is a completely alien concept. There’s simply no getting away from letting your children use the internet these days, whether it’s for schoolwork, gaming, and entertainment or catching up with friends. However, the internet can pose a real threat to children, and you never know who is online trying to contact them. That’s why most parents are concerned about online safety whether their kids are accessing the internet from a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Background Checks:
Do you suspect that your child is getting messages from somebody who is up to no good? If your child has been talking to a stranger online, you have every right to be worried. Most of the time, kids talk to each other on online games and the likes and it is nothing to worry about, but there are criminals out there who target kids online and if you have your suspicions, it’s always worth following them up. Nuwber is a site where you can background check anybody using their phone number or email address, even if you do not have their full name. You can bring up more contact information, criminal records, property records, and more to find out who exactly is talking to your child online.
Parental Control Apps:
A parental control app can be an ideal idea to make sure that your child is not stumbling across anything that they should not be seeing online. You can find an app that allows you to set which websites are definitely to be blocked, and which topics should be blocked if your child searches for them. You probably don’t want your child looking up things like pornography or other unsavory topics that are not age-appropriate, and you certainly don’t want them to accidentally stumble across them online. Some parental control apps also allow you to block certain sites at certain times, which can be ideal for blocking distracting game sites or social media when it’s time for homework.
Talk to Your Child:
It’s important to talk openly with your child about online safety and make sure that they know that they can come to you if they notice anything suspicious. Rather than simply telling your child that they are not allowed to visit certain sites or speak to certain people online, it’s worth explaining why to them, and explaining cybersecurity to them as this will help them develop good online privacy habits that will benefit them as they get older too.
Educate:
Finally, it’s worth educating your child about all aspects of online safety and not just avoiding talking to strangers or not accessing certain sites. For example, you will want to teach them about cybercrime and make sure that they know never to leave their device unattended in a public place, never to share passwords, and be cautious with the information that they share on social media if you have allowed them to have a profile. Educate them on the dangers of phishing emails and make sure that they know why they should always double-check if they get an email asking them to log in to an account or provide somebody with their personal information.
Keeping your kids safe online doesn’t have to be difficult with these online safety tips.
