Our kids are living in the internet age, a magical world and a rich source of information on just about any topic. The internet is a great place for knowledge-hungry minds. However, internet safety is now of utmost importance.
It’s undeniable that kids are online more than ever as technology and the internet invades almost every aspect of their lives, from school work to playtime. However, several dangers lurk on the internet, not least of which include risk of contact with undesirable people, harmful and inappropriate content, and malicious attacks from software and malware.
Internet Safety and Online Dangers
Some of the most common threats for your kids when they use the internet:
1. Contact with undesirable online characters such as cyberbullies, predators, and phishing scammers who can trick them into providing more information about themselves or your family.
2. Contact with inappropriate content including obscene and age-inappropriate content, sexually obscene content such as pornographic videos and images, and graphic or violent imagery such as acts of a vicious assault.
3. Computer threats such as malware, software viruses, drive-by downloads, spyware, and unwanted ad pop-ups.
How Can You Manage and Monitor Your Kids Internet Usage?
Many kids are, in most cases, a little savvier than their parents when it comes to technical matters and the internet. Therefore, they are more prone to putting themselves in the face of danger as compared to their more experienced and cautious parents.
The very thought of having to provide safety for your kids can seem quite intimidating for many parents. Indeed, many parents who’ve come across anecdotal evidence and several warnings from across social media platforms have developed a morbid fear of allowing their kids any kind of access to the internet.
Fortunately, you don’t need extensive technical know-how to manage your kids’ internet access. There are simple and user-friendly software solutions that you can use to protect your child from online dangers and opening up your devices to threats such as malware and spyware.
From a tech perspective, there are two broad ways to manage your kids’ online activities:
1. Antivirus software programs
Many antiviruses now come bundled with several security features to prevent threats such as spyware, malware, viruses, and other online threats that your kids may trigger by unknowingly visiting certain websites.
2. Parental control software:
Parental control software monitors your child’s internet experience and can control many aspects of it including how much time they spend online, websites they can or cannot visit, permissions to use certain apps or software programs, and other aspects.
They can also keep logs of your children’s activities, which you can later review. The best parental control software will allow you to set up or customize the kind of restrictions you want for each internet user.
Hardware provided by Rural Wi-Fi such as the Tenda Nova Mesh Kit allows you to schedule internet access to your children’s devices, acting as an added safeguard to their experience.
Internet safety is a top priority for many families right now and it doesn’t get any easier as the kids grow up. You may find yourself torn in between having to acknowledge their independence and limiting their internet access.
To achieve this critical balance, always talk to your kids about the various online threats and the damages they can present to them and the entire family. Having a proper discussion with your kids about online threats is considered one of the best ways to keep them out of harm’s way.
A few talking points would include how they can stay safe and avoid talking to strangers, blocking and reporting all cyberbullies, not clicking on links and making software downloads, and not sharing too much information about themselves online.
Coupled with a good antivirus program or parental control software, you can make the internet safer for your kids.
Check out Our WiFi Accessories that provide parental control: https://ruralwifi.ie/shop/
See more about how to set up parental controls on Tenda Nova WiFi range extender accessories in the video below!
To read more about Internet safety for kids check out CyberSafeIreland and their range of informative blogposts.
