Everywhere our kids go, they’re being bombarded by unwanted violent and sexual media content. But there are ways to protect our children, particularly when they’re using the Internet and mobile devices.
Tip #1 - Set Internet Usage Rules
Kids need to know right from the very beginning, and every time they access the internet, the risks of being online and the rules for the privilege of using it.
The easiest way to do this is to post these rules/guidelines near the computer with an easy line of sight to where your child or teen will be.
Some of these rules may include that they need to be in a public area of the house when using the Internet so mom and dad can keep them safe from unwanted people and pop-ups, and know what sites kids are visiting.
If you’re not sure your child or teen is being truthful about which sites she is using, learn to use the web browser’s history function. This is part of helping her set guidelines for the kinds of things she should or shouldn’t be looking at.
One of these days, your child or teen will be on the Internet without you standing over him or in the next room, and he needs to know how to keep his mind, heart and soul safe.
Another rule would be that your child or teen is not be allowed to share personal information or photos, full name, mailing address, telephone number, the name of their school, or any other information that could help someone figure out where they are.
Cyberbullying is on the rise and the Internet’s awash with scam artists that can easily con a trusting kid into doing all kinds of things.
Tip #2 – Turn on Pop-up Blockers
Most of us who have been using the Internet for even a short period of time know what it’s like to type in a seemingly innocent set of keywords only to have graphic and obscene pornographic pictures pop up.
It doesn’t take much for our kids to discover the same thing. Perhaps it’s a screaming ad that your child thinks, “Ooh, what’s this?” and clicks without even completely understanding what they’re clicking on.
Pop-up blockers are critical to stopping these kinds of ads and materials from bombarding us and our children.
Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer and other web browsers all have their own add-on and pop-up blocker or ad-blocker programs. This can leave us a lot more at ease about what our kids might be seeing or enticed into seeing.
Tip #3 - Content Filters
Content filters are available for PCs, Macs and mobile devices now that allow parents to control the explicitness of the content we wish to see.
It’s imperative that we learn how to activate these, particularly on mobile devices. If you don’t know how, talk to someone who’s more tech-savvy.
Content filters allow you to block any content that may come up in an innocent web search that is for mature audiences only, 18+ only, and will even block specific sites.
Tip #4 - Parental Controls – Timed access, monitors and locks
The other tool parents have at their disposal is being able to shut down the modem/router/Wi-Fi at a certain hour or password-encrypt it.
Some parents use this as a reward method. Once the child or teen completes certain tasks or chores (such as completing homework), she receives the password and her computer time. Some programs even allow you to block social networking sites during homework time.
It’s important to remember that while these things certainly help keep our children’s and teens’ minds and hearts safe, they are not foolproof. And if our children aren’t seeing explicit content online at home, they may be exposed to them somewhere else.
It might be at a friend’s place, on the school bus, watching TV (I’ve seen condom commercials on before 9 p.m. during a baseball game), or driving home from the store on a billboard.
The only fail-safe is to be engaged with our kids and not letting them push us away. As kids grow older, it becomes more and more difficult to be involved and kids can get protective of their privacy and sense of independence.
That’s why it’s really important to establish these rules and expectations early, and keep reminding our kids what we expect of them, and how to keep themselves safe from on-line predators and inappropriate content.
Sources:
1) Mobile Parental Controls. StaySafeOnline.org. Web. Accessed: Oct 29, 2014.
http://www.staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/mobile-and-on-the-go/mobile-parental-controls
2) Protect your children. Stay Smart Online. Web. Accessed: Oct 28, 2014.
https://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/home_users/protect_your_children
3) How to protect young kids from inappropriate Internet. Lachance Shandrow, Kim. NBCNews.com. Web. Accessed: Oct 28, 2014.
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/48186441/ns/technology_and_science-back_to_school/t/how-protect-young-kids-inappropriate-internet/#.VE_TnhakFPI
4) Webwise: Share Take Care. BBC. Web. Accessed: Oct 28, 2014.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/0/22728225
Reviewed October 30, 2014
by Michele Blackberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith