The Internet is a great platform for kids to stay connected, stay entertained, and learn new stuff. However, it is also filled with inappropriate websites and content. Any stranger can interact with your kids and blackmail them. So, it is quite important to educate your kids and implement effective parental control on various platforms. In this way by implementing a few restrictions, you can encourage your kids to surf the web safely.

Parental Control Measures You Must Take

While device control is quite important, it is not enough to keep your kids safe. You also need to have a conversation with them about the dangers of the Internet. Here are some measures you can take immediately to ensure online safety:

Stay Informed

You might have subscribed to one of the very high-speed Internet plans for your home. This plan can open a world of endless learning opportunities for your kids. But, unless your kids become teenagers, it is not wise to let them surf the web on their own. So, educate yourself regarding the latest technology and online dangers so that you can communicate your concerns to your kids easily.

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Shift the Computer to the Living Room

It is not wise to let your kids surf the web in their rooms. They can access a wide variety of content and get into trouble easily. So, shift the PC to the living room and keep an eye on their online activities. If that is not possible, keep checking on them now and then.

Surf the Web With Your Kid

An important parental control measure that you can take easily is to turn on ‘Safe Search’ on your web browser. In this way, your kid will not be able to view inappropriate content online. Also, spend time with him/her as he/she is learning or playing online. This’ll protect him/her from developing the habit of searching for inappropriate content.

Have an Open Conversation

To protect your kids against online dangers, it is very important to have an open conversation with them. Inform them about how the Internet provides unique learning platforms to them. Also, discuss why searching for inappropriate content is unethical. Openly discuss these topics so your child actively decides to stay away from these activities:

• Inappropriate violent content
• Cyberbullying
• Harassment
• Sharing of Information

Also, ask them to never communicate with strangers online. Hackers and harassers can easily lure kids into sharing private information with them. They can then blackmail the kids. So, ask your child to seek your permission before uploading any photo/video or sharing private information.

Limit Their Screen Time

Another important parental control measure to take is to limit your kids’ screen time. Your kid shouldn’t spend more than 2 hours daily surfing the web. So, discuss the repercussions of spending more than enough time with your kids. Convince them to slowly limit their screen time.

Other Measures to Take

Besides these, you can set up parental controls on various devices and systems. Even if you use only 5G technology for your home devices, there are several ways to restrict your child’s online activities on his/her mobile.

Change Router Settings

You can block adult and inappropriate content on various devices simultaneously. The easy way to do so is to change the router settings. You can seek customer support to gain more information about this. You can also access online resources to change the router settings by yourself. By successfully controlling these settings, you can keep your child away from porn and inappropriate violent content.

Change Browser Settings

An important step you can take to ensure your kid’s online safety is to change the browser settings. Here’s how you can do so:

• Open ‘Google’
• Go to ‘Settings’
• Set ‘Google’ as your default search engine
• Turn on ‘Safe Search’

In this way, whenever your kid will surf the web, he/she will always use Google. Since Google will enable filters on its search, your child will not be able to search for inappropriate content online. This will also keep him/her safe from viewing inappropriate ads or games.

Monitor Your Kid’s Mobile

If you have a high-speed Internet service like Spectrum Internet at your home, your child might frequently use it to surf the web on his/her mobile. However, you can restrict certain activities even on your kid’s mobile by setting up a passcode. In this way, your kid will not be able to access/open certain inappropriate apps.

Another way to control your child’s access to inappropriate apps is to set up a passcode for the Play Store. In this way, he/she will have to communicate his/her reasons for installing a particular app/game to you.

Track Their Location

You can install several location tracking apps like Life360 on your mobile/devices to stay informed about your kid’s whereabouts. In this way, you’ll be able to know immediately if your kid is being blackmailed by anyone. It will also give you an insight into the kind of friends your kid has.

Social Media

On social media, your kid can easily develop friendships with strangers and share their private photos/videos. Here’s how you can stop this from happening:

Facebook

You can check and review settings that can be viewed under the ‘Privacy’ section on Facebook. Make sure to turn off ‘location and ‘facial recognition’ to monitor your child’s activities online. Also, change settings to prevent Facebook from sharing your kid’s private information with third-party sites.

Instagram

There’s not much that you can do to keep your kids’ activities private on Instagram. However, make sure that their account is private to prevent strangers from viewing your kids’ private photos.

Snapchat

Finally, you can install a software called ‘mSpy’ to monitor your child’s activities on this app.