There is a lot about the internet that people don’t know. Every day, new sites that could be obnoxious or even dangerous pop-up, and cyberbullying is always a problem. It’s easy to see why parents worry about what their kids might see online and who they talk to.
As a parent, you need to take the time to learn about the internet and make sure your kids are safe, even though it’s hard. This is not an easy thing to do, but here are some ways to do it. Read on to find out more.
Keep Up To Date
Even if parents aren’t up to date on the internet and other new technologies, their kids likely are. With this in mind, it’s important to learn about what’s going on online so you can be aware of the dangers and steer your kids away from them, or at least be able to talk openly about the problems that the internet can bring. Make sure you also learn about the good things about it, though. If you don’t, your kids might miss out on the positive things, like GCSE maths lessons online, which could also be a problem.
You might also want to teach your kids about the internet. Sit down and look at interesting websites to determine what’s good and what’s not. If you’re all together, you can be sure of what your kids are seeing, and they can be sure they won’t stumble across something bad by accident.
Use Parental Controls
You can’t always be close when your kids want to go online. It’s just not always possible. If this is the case, you’ll need to set up parental controls on their devices. When you do this, you can restrict certain web pages or limit how long your children can be online.
Even though this might sound hard, setting up parental controls is easy, and they are also important. When you do this, you can be sure they are safe and give them some freedom. This is the best way to let them grow and learn while keeping them safe.
Give Them Limited Screen Time
The more time kids spend online, the less time they spend outside in the fresh air, getting exercise, doing their homework or reading (although, of course, this can be done via the internet), and being exposed to bad things on the internet. In light of this, it’s a good idea to limit how much time your kids spend in front of a screen. The internet is a great resource and way to relax, but too much of it is bad for health and happiness.
Make sure you have rules about how much time your kids can spend on screens. We’ve talked about limiting the devices, but being in charge is also important. For example, don’t let them use devices during meals; ensure they don’t use them at least an hour before bedtime.
