While the internet feels like sunshine and rainbows, it can be a dark place if you’re not careful enough. This especially goes to say for children as they are not as vigilant as adults and are prone to being victimized by people on the internet with malicious intent.
However, as parents, you can take the responsibility to protect your kids as they use the internet. There are just a few simple steps that you can take so that your children are safe when they use the internet.
Let’s take a look at some of them.
Make Sure You Get a Secure Internet Service
If you’re looking to ensure your kids’ safety on the internet, remember that you have to start from grass-root levels. To do that, the best thing that you can do is to invest in an internet service that itself ensures that your kids are safer on the internet by giving you control.
For instance, Xfinity Internet gives you advanced parental controls that allow you to filter out what websites your kids visit while they are using the internet.
You can also set up access schedules and hours out of which your kids will not be able to access the internet. This way, you can prevent indecent exposure and keep your kids away from potential cyberattacks.
Supervise Your Kids While Online Gaming
Online gaming is beneficial for your kids in a lot of ways, it helps them think critically, develops their reflexes and allows them to make friends from all over the world. However, all that glitters is not gold, and the same can be said for online gaming as well.
Online gaming leaves your kids vulnerable to attacks such as online predators, aggressive behavior, cyberbullying, distribution of malware and gaming account thefts. Therefore, you must keep an eye on who your kids play with so that you can make sure that they are safe.
Tell Your Kids Not to Engage with Cyberbullies
Just like how there are bullies in real life, there are bullies on the internet as well. These people are also referred to as “trolls”. If your kids engage with online bullies, the bully will likely shatter your kids’ self-esteem and confidence. This can be damaging to them in the long run.
You should tell your kids to report the bully and then block the account instead of trying to retaliate against them. Otherwise, your kids could be reported themselves and have their accounts terminated.
Teach Your Kids Not to Overshare
Cybercriminals always tend to pick on vulnerabilities and loopholes. They also take advantage of the fact that kids are typically innocent and would share anything if you probe them smartly. Therefore, you must tell your kids not to share too much on the internet.
This includes personal information such as your address and even the names of your family members at home. You should also tell your kids that not everyone on the internet can be trusted so that they will be conscious about who they talk to.
Keep Your Kids’ Social Media Activity in Check
It makes perfect sense for your kids to use social media. It helps them stay in touch with their friends and family. However, you should also teach your kids about the possible consequences of using social media too much.
Many social media platforms are known to house a lot of people who have malicious intent. For instance, many fake online sellers take money, and it eventually turns out to be a scam.
You should teach your kids about the dangers of using social media so that they are well aware of the types of people they might encounter.
There are also a lot of people who tend to catfish by pretending to be someone else. Your kids should verify that they only add accounts that they know in person. Ask your kids not to add any strangers so that they can keep themselves safe.
Install Antivirus Software on Your Devices
To add another layer of security to your devices, make sure that you install good antivirus software on each of them. This way, you can prevent any malware from making its way into your devices. Even if malware does make its way into your devices, you can use an antivirus to effectively remove it.
Some antivirus software also comes with browser protection that blocks access to websites that it thinks might be suspicious. This way, you can reduce the chances of a hacker hacking into your devices.
Once you do all of the steps I’ve mentioned above, you can do your best to make sure that your kids are safe while they use the internet. This way, you can give yourself some peace of mind, too!
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