Trying to make your child’s internet experience safe may sound like spying on your child every time she touches the computer, but there is no need to feel guilty about it. Instead, be open and conversant with your child.
How To Minimize The Risks:
The internet when used in the right way opens a whole new world for the children. The best way to assure that your children are having a positive online experience is to stay in touch with what they are doing.
• Be internet savvy yourself:
The most important thing that one can do as a parent is to try and get to know as much as computers and internet yourself. Only when you have the know-how will you be able to keep your child’s internet experience a safe one.
• Location of the computer:
It is always safer to have the computer located in a common area of the house. A computer in the bedroom or study-room means that you cannot always keep an eye on the websites your child is visiting. However, if this is not possible, make some ground rules from day one. Disallow private chat rooms completely. Make sure the door of your child’s room is always open when he is one the computer.
• Check for available software:
Some internet service providers will also provide software where you can put a ‘child lock’ on certain websites and prevent your child from actually being able to access them.
• Check site history:
If you feel that there are too many mouse clicks and too much flurry of changing websites when you enter the room, try and monitor what is happening and what websites he is going on. One can always check what sites your child is visiting by going to the ‘history’ icon on your net browser. This will give you information on all the sites that your kid has been visiting.
• Monitor bills:
Try and monitor your telephone bills and internet usage to see what kind of internet usage you have.
Talking to your child, setting rules together, keeping aware of computer services offered, will make using the Internet exciting for you and your child.
Post new comment