Online

Do You Know What Your Kids Are Doing Online?

 

Whether with a phone, a tablet, or a computer, at some point your child will be online. How do you control what they use? How do you control or monitor what they see? It isn’t easy and will take some work on your part but it is necessary. The internet can be a dangerous place for children without supervision.

 

The easiest thing to do is look at their online history. All internet browsers save the sites that have been visited. In Internet Explorer, the browsing history can be accessed by going to the star button then clicking on history. To find the same information in Chrome, click the 3 dots on the top right of the browser then select history.

 

You can also get help from your wireless router. Some routers are equipped with family safety settings, enabling you to check on logs and see what types of activities have been happening on your network. With some routers, you have the added capability of setting up sites which are blocked. This would make it so your child can’t access them, and if they try, you could even be sent an email letting you know. Open DNS is another option to add to your router settings.

 

Because you can’t supervise your child’s online activity 24/7, there are different types of software available to help you filter things you don’t want them seeing, their social media activity, and even limit their screen time. See a list of some popular ones here.

 

When allowing children to use social media such as Facebook, Snap Chat and Instagram, make sure their information is private. Speak with them about the importance of being careful about who they accept as friends, who they chat with, and the types of things that they are allowed to share. Children might think these outlets are a popularity contest and might want the MOST friends or followers, but accepting requests from people they don’t know can be dangerous.

 

The most effective tool is communication. Let them know what is and IS NOT ok. Maybe even set up their accounts for them so they are properly locked down. Also make sure that their passwords are difficult by using capital letters, numbers, and symbols. Teach them never to share their passwords.