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How To keep your Kids Safe Online

The increase in online users is primarily due to Covid-19. Whether to kill boredom, attend online classes, business meetings, or whatever, people start surfing the internet more than ever. But is the online world safe for children?
Internet is the boon and boom. Internet surfing is a good place for finding answers to queries and for entertainment, but it’s also where scammers and sex offenders lurk. Adults can find a way to escape it, but it can be dangerous for children.
According to reports, about 37% of young people between the ages of 12 and 17 have been bullied online. So, what can you do to keep your kids safe online? Below are some tips on how to protect your children when they are using the internet.

How To keep your kids safe online?

How To keep your Kids Safe Online
The internet has become an integral part of our lives, and for many children, it is a necessary part of their education. While the internet can be an excellent resource for children, it can also be dangerous. Since the online world has a nasty side, scams, online predators, explicit content, and websites, cyberbullying are not too far.
You can take a few simple steps to ensure your kids are safe when they are online.

  • Understanding the risks

Online-related risks include cyberbullying, explicit content exposure, online predators, and more. Explain to your children the risk of being online and what they should do to be safe.

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The internet has some predators and scammers seeking innocent kids to exploit. Your children may encounter strangers and undesirable people on social media or in online games.
Scammers can hide their identity to take out a child’s personal information. And they can use that information to harass and blackmail your children. In the long run, it will negatively impact your child’s health.
That’s why you must restrict your kid from talking to strangers. Make them understand that people are not like what they pretend to be online. On the internet, the person may appear well-mannered, behave well and act well, but in reality, they may be the opposite.
Don’t share personal information even with close friends. Further, never click on any suspicious links. Tell your children to keep in mind that anything they post online is never private. And if they publish anything private, online predators can misuse them.

  • Setting up parental controls

The next important thing parents can do to keep their children safe online is to use parental controls. You can’t be there with your children every time and monitor what they are doing online.
But with parental controls application, you can remotely track their phone’s activities. Further, it offers many valuable features.
Parents can turn on filtering and blocking features and limit time spent online to help kids avoid inappropriate content and contact with strangers. Additionally, monitoring features can give parents a better idea of what their kids are doing online.

Here’s how to set up parental controls:

  • First, decide which features you want to use. Several parental control features are available, including website blockers, time limits, and content filters.
  • Once you’ve decided which features you want to use, research which software programs offer those features. Many different parental control software programs are available, so take your time to find the one that best meets your needs.
  • Once you’ve chosen a reliable child monitoring software program, follow the instructions to install it on your child’s device.
  • Once installed, you’ll be able to customize the settings to block certain websites, limit screen time, and more.

The best parental control applications, such as Fenced.ai, MobileSpy, and Cocospy, enable you to monitor your child’s device remotely.

  • Teaching kids about online safety

Talk to your kid openly about online risks and teach them how to protect themselves. You can ask them questions about who they are chatting with, what they are sharing online, who they receive texts from, what is searched for online, etc. it will help you to get information about your children.
Have age-appropriate conversations with your kids about internet safety. This will help them understand what they should and shouldn’t do online. Teach your children to report inappropriate content and block the person who posts such content.
Educate your children that they should not share addresses, birthdates, or any other personal information without parental permission because it might cause a problem for them. Hackers may use that information to make money by blackmailing your children.
Further, tell your children not to log in to their online accounts on school or friends’ computers. It is not a healthy online habit. And mainly ask them to create strong and different passwords for each account. If it is hard for them to remember, they can use the password managers tool or pin it down on a note.
In addition, make them feel that your children can reach out to you if they are bullied or harassed by someone. Let them know that they can always come to you if something happens that makes them feel uncomfortable.

  • Staying informed and taking action

Applying the above methods only to keep children safe online is not adequate. You also have to take care of their every action. And if you find your children are being bullied or harassed, you must contact the responsible authorities.
Inform the authorities immediately if you suspect an online child is being enticed or exploited. You can contact the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) or report Cyber Tipline organization.
Tell your children to take the steps if they see offensive things online.

  • Report offensive and/or inappropriate content.
  • Block someone who continues bullying.
  • Contact parents or any senior adults.

Conclusion

Parents can do a few things to help keep their children safe online. First, they should discuss with their children about responsible internet use.
Teach them the risk associated with online, set strong passwords, and stop kids from talking to strangers and sharing data with others to protect them. Keep the lines of communication open with your child about their online activity.
Also, they should install parental control software to help filter out inappropriate content. This article covers the 4 easy steps to keep your kids online safe. By taking these steps, parents can help create a safe online environment for their children.
Lastly, you are a role model for your children. They will likely follow your lead when they see you online as prudent and respectable. So, make sure you have healthy online habits.

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