Three Actions To Keep Your Kids Safe Online

In the digital age, kids have more and more unrestricted access to the internet than ever before. But with this comes inherent risk. Unfortunately, you cannot monitor and be there every time your child is online. Not only would it be physically impossible, but at some point, they must learn to navigate the internet on their own terms. So what simple steps can you take to keep your child safe online? Well, here are 3 simple actions that you can consider implementing.

Education

First and foremost education is the key to knowing that your kids will conduct themselves in a manner that will both keep them safe and knowing who they can and can’t trust online. There are so many resources online to help with their education that it would be hard to single out any single one of them in particular. However, they all normally follow along with similar information.

Your kids shouldn’t be made to feel that they are in danger at every turn, but that everything should be verified before it can be fully trusted. Just as in their physical security, they should know what kinds of information they can and can’t give and what they should be talking about. Sit with them and talk them through as much as you can. Knowing they can trust is very important. 

Limit where they are playing their games

To make sure you know who the kids are playing with on online games you can look into a cheap VPS, also known as a virtual private server. This is an online service that only you and a select group of people have access. If your kids are one of the many millions that play games such as Minecraft online with their friends. They aren’t too difficult to set up and are the best way to know that the people joining your kids are limited to their friends only.

Unfortunately, this may not work for every game they play online but knowing exactly who they play with and when is a good start to introduce them to the online world. Again education is key here. They must know that at any point, should the feel uncomfortable or otherwise, they know who to speak to.

Child safety apps

Many devices such as smartphones, tablets or otherwise come with some form of child safety app on them. Even Youtube has a version dedicated to child-safe content. Utilising these apps is a great way to know what your kid is only accessing what they are meant to be when you aren’t around. Get to know the apps inside and out so you can configure them correctly. Doing so means that your child is getting the best protection possible while using their devices. 

Make sure you add password protection to those things you don’t want your child to be doing on their devices. This includes actions such as unrestricted limits on spending while in a game or on a shopping app. You don’t want to be a parent stung with a huge bill, because your child didn’t know what they were doing. Again, education is paramount.