Parents like to have a certain degree of control over the online activities of their children. This is because the internet is like a world without its law enforcement agencies. We all know what happens in a place that doesn’t have agents enforcing rules.
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a situation where human contact is lessened and online interactions are encouraged. More time spent at home bores children out and they easily take to the internet for interesting stuff like socialization, funny videos, online gaming, and so on.
However, the internet is not the safest place for children to hang out. There are several risks that your child can be exposed to when browsing the internet. Here are things you should do to keep your children safe online!
Cyber Risks facing Children – How to Keep your children safe
- Internet Predators
Internet predators are individuals, usually past their youths, that track children on the internet. An internet predator takes advantage of a child’s pure mind to deceive him or her. They have higher success rates with children that are hardly supervised by their parents.
Sometimes, these predators can trick the children into physical meetings. They typically make use of social media, gaming platforms, and any other forum where several children gather. Several methods can be used by the predator to get information from the child.
- Inappropriate Content
There is so much information on the internet that is easy for a child to stumble on inappropriate content. Your child could visit a website that contains inappropriate ads. Some websites force visitors onto a different page containing perverse content.
Measures you can take to keep your children safe online
- Use a VPN for your family
A VPN is a security tool that encrypts the flow of information between two online communication nodes. It hides your IP address and protects your privacy.
The app can work as an efficient tool against online predators. For instance, a predator would not be able to know your child’s physical location from the device’s IP address. If all your home devices are connected to a VPN, the malicious individual will only see the IP address of the VPN server’s location.
- Keep their Devices in a Common Area
To regulate what your children do online, you can place their laptops, tablets, and phones in a common area of the home. Kids are less likely to perform suspicious actions if they know anyone can walk in on them anytime. To encourage mobiles like tablets and smartphones being used in common areas of the home, create a charging port in that specific area.
Also, a child having an online class should be encouraged to place the computer or phone in areas like the living room. This way, no video conferencing member will be able to spy on private stuff in the child’s room.
- Setup Parental Controls
Apart from installing parental control software on social media platforms, you can also set controls on websites your children have access to. These parental controls limit them from landing on websites with randy content. The most effective parental controls can be done through your home router, which your children are sure to be connected to. Alternatively, platforms like YouTube also allow parents to adjust the settings and restrict access on their child’s account.