online safety Archives - Dad of Divas

1. Educate them about their safety

You should start educating your children about their safety from an early age. With younger children, teach them the importance of never speaking to strangers or wandering off without a parent or trusted adult. Make sure that your children know their full address, name of their parents, and contact details as soon as they are able to understand. Practice this with them to make sure that they remember this critical information. You should also teach your children what number to call in an emergency situation. When children get older, get them into the habit of always telling you where they are going and when they will be back.

2. Upgrade your home security

Upgrading your home security is an effective way to create a safer living environment for your whole family. Make sure your property has a visible security system to help deter criminals from targeting your home. Check this regularly to ensure that your alarm system is working efficiently. You can further enhance your home security by installing CCTV cameras to monitor your front door, yard, and any other entrances to your property. This can also provide you with peace of mind when your children are playing outside, as you can keep an eye on them via remote live feed to your smartphone. BodyGuardz offers a fantastic selection of smart home products that can help keep you, your family, and your valuables safe. This includes personal emergency hubs and portable 360-degree security cameras that can be set up to watch your children in the backyard.

3. Keep them safe online

Using the internet and smartphones is now a normal part of our children’s lives. While these advancements offer many benefits, they also have several potential dangers such as cyberbullying and online grooming. According to a study by PixelPrivacy, “around 60 percent of teenagers have received a message from a stranger online, and over half have replied.” You must educate your children on the potential risks and teach them how to stay safe while using the internet. Here are some useful tips to help keep your children safe online:

Limited the amount of time that your children spend on the internet.

Ask your children whether they have seen anything online that has made them feel uncomfortable.

Tell your children how they can stay safe on social media networks, i.e. where the report and block functions are and how they can set information to private.

Maximizing the benefits of the internet for your children

The list of benefits which the internet offers our children on a daily basis is endless. It can be a great resource for homework, watching their favorite television program, or playing games – but the internet is not always a safe place. The key thing is knowing how to manage this powerful resource so that our children only know about its benefits until they are old enough to learn about managing their online presence themselves.

Is there an internet appropriate age?

It can be difficult to know how old your child should be before you are comfortable letting them use the internet unsupervised. This is a personal decision which should reflect the relationship that you have with them. There is no one better placed to know whether their child is mature enough to understand the risks involved in using the internet than their parent or guardian. As a rough guideline, a Microsoft study has estimated that eight years old is the minimum age that children should be before going online by themselves.

Keep the adult content for the adults

There is a world of difference between the sites which adults should use and those which children use. While it’s perfectly acceptable and enjoyable to spend your Friday night enjoying some quality time in the VIP club of some online casinos, you wouldn’t want your children to accidentally get on there! Furthermore, there is a wealth of adult content on the internet which should be blocked from young (and impressionable) eyes.

What protection can be put into place?

Thankfully there is a wealth of help and programs to help adults keep children safe while online. The first step would be to install filters on all of the computers at home, not forgetting mobile phones and tablets, which the children have access to. These act as the first line of defense, blocking out any immediately hazardous content for children such as pornographic websites. There are lots of websites offering support for parents and guardians, such as the NSPCC, comment pieces, and government advice.

Educate yourself as well as your children

It would be worth spending some time to educate yourself about the developments in popular websites and programs to assist your child in navigating the web should they need it. The key thing is to remember that this is the beginning of a life-long relationship with the internet. As it changes and develops, so will your understanding of it and appreciation for the benefits that it offers both you and your family. Once you understand the risks you will be much better equipped to deal with any potential problems, should they arise.