Shielding Children From Bad Content On Internet

 Shielding Children From Bad Content On Internet

Tools like parental controls can help protect your kids from accessing inappropriate content, but you can't verify everything they see on the internet. You need to help them avoid inappropriate content and deal with it if they see it.

 

The first step is to talk to them about it.

Start a conversation about what kids see online

As soon as your child starts using the Internet, you should start talking about what they might find there. Help them understand that sometimes they may come across things that they would rather not see or would rather not see. Try to have these conversations regularly.

Explain age limits and inappropriate sites

Many sites have a minimum age limit of 13 - this includes sites like YouTube and Facebook. Explain to your child that the age limits are there to protect you from inappropriate content.

Talk to other parents and at school

Ask other parents and your child's school what kind of rules they follow and what they recommend.

Agree on ground rules

Find out the kinds of things your child enjoys doing online, and figure out which websites and apps are best for them. These should include the search engines they use to find information. You can turn on Google Safe Search and set YouTube Safe Mode to make sure they are seeing results appropriate for their age.

Be calm and reassuring

Let your child know that they can talk to you or a trusted adult if they find something that is bothering them online.

Age verification on commercial porn sites

The government is set to implement a new age verification regime for commercial porn sites at the end of 2018 to protect children online. Users will need to provide their credit card details to verify that they are at least 18.

Encourage critical thinking

Help them think about why they like to do certain online activities to start building their critical thinking.

 

Talk about what's wrong and what's real

Show them that not everything they see online is true and check other sources if anything sounds "too good to be true". 

Use storybooks to start conversations

Start talking about online safety as soon as they log on - using stories to introduce the topic can facilitate conversation.

Talk about positive ways to use technology

Show that you understand the important role of technology and the Internet in their lives.

Managing access to inappropriate content

By putting in place a few simple steps you can help your child avoid inappropriate content and focus on the best of the Internet. You can also use few safety measures such as:

·       Facebook Privacy Checker

·       YouTube Restricted Mode

·       Google Safe Search

As a parent, you have decisions to make about how you want your child to engage online and on social media, and what steps you want to take to help protect them:

Set up parental controls

Put parental controls on your broadband at home. Keep checking all the activities of your child online.

Enable safe search on search engines

Encourage your child to use kid-friendly search engines, such as Swiggle. Safe search settings can be enabled on Google and Bing. For other search engines, go to security settings. Remember to go for Safe Mode on YouTube, iTunes, and Google Play.

Make sure every device is protected

Parental controls must be installed on all devices used by your child: cell phones, tablets and game consoles (domestic and portable).

Define filters

Activate the security measures offered by different sites; social sites Like Facebook, privacy settings help your child control who has access to their content and what they see.

Block pop ups

If you're worried that your kids may be accessing inappropriate content through pop-ups and ads, then block all the pop-ups.

Explore sites and apps together

By talking to your kids about their interests, you can help them find appropriate sites to visit and apps to use. Review these sites as they get older. It’s better option for keeping your browsing safe online.