The internet is awesome!!
We use it to connect, learn, communicate, bank, shop, sell, make money, be creative and to express ourselves. However, for every good there has to be a bad and the internet is the same.
So here are 5 ways to make sure your kids stay safe while they’re online.
Turn on filters
Filter what your children can and can’t access online and what type of sites they can view. Windows has a parental control built in however there is other software out there which can help to keep children safe online, the most popular is ‘Net Nanny ‘.
Keep your computer in a common area .
Keep the computer in a central spot, where it’s easy to monitor its use.
Teach them to protect their privacy.
While they won’t fully understand the consequences of revealing personal information online, you should still make sure your children know:
* never to give their name, phone number, e-mail address, password, postal address, school, or picture without your permission
* not to open e-mail from people they don’t know
* not to respond to hurtful or disturbing messages
* not to get together with anyone they “meet” online.
Stay in a kid-friendly zone
For beginners as young as 4, consider confining online exploration to web addresses that list child-safe sites on everything from TV, movies, music, and games to world history, science, and trivia. Some good choices:
* web directory Yahooligans
* answer supplier Ask Jeeves for Kids
* the American Library Association’s Great Web Sites for Kids
* the U.S. government’s “Dot Kids” domain .
Tune up your search engine
Your search engine can be pressed into service for free. (But be aware: A savvy child could switch the settings back.) Once you set restrictions, Google will block sites with explicit sexual material (Preferences/SafeSearch Filtering). AltaVista puts several types of offensive content off-limits with its Family Filter (Settings/Family Filter setup).