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There are almost 5 billion active users on the internet, daily, and no matter how old your kids are, sooner or later, they are going to become one of the billions of people who access the world wide web. Knowing what we know about the internet, the thought of our little ones being there is really scary, and if you are like most parents, you are probably terrified of the thought of your children being online with all the dangers that the internet poses. Millions of people get scammed every day, even more, become victims of some type of fraud, and we all know about the data and statistics of what happens to young adults when they browse the world wide web without being aware of the hidden dangers.
Since you can only delay your kids being online for so long, it is better to stay safe than to wait for your little ones to find out about these dangers on their own. If you want to make sure that your babies are always protected, no matter if you are there with them or not, you’ve come to the right place. Here, we are going to tell you how to teach your kids to surf the internet safely. Keep on reading if you want to learn some tricks on how to be a better parent, and how to protect them and yourself.
You cannot teach someone something unless you know it yourself. We’ve all been victims of those scam emails or viruses that are sent via a link, and that is not something you should be ashamed of. However, avoiding these situations is easy, especially if you know what the danger looks like. If you want to be able to help your children, and if you want to make sure they don’t get in any trouble, you should first start by learning things on your own. For this you can easily find a lot of tutorials online, you can watch videos, or you can even become a part of a course. This is going to be really beneficial for you in the long run, and you will learn how to recognize even the best hidden red flags. Remember that you cannot just tell your child not to do something because it is scary or unknown, without being aware yourself of the consequences that might come with just one wrong action.
One of the biggest mistakes that parents make is setting rules without explaining why those rules are in place. You cannot just tell your child that they are not allowed to visit a certain website without giving them information about why that rule is in place. When you think about your childhood, you will remember that the things that were forbidden, were actually the ones that were most appealing to you, so you should not make that mistake with your own children. Sit down with them, and explain what could happen. Depending on their age, you should be as open with them as possible, or you should create a story that would help them understand. Don’t start just by saying that they cannot visit a website just because you said so. Tell them what the biggest issues are, how they could get in trouble, and what would happen to them. Remember to tell them that if they are ever in an unsafe position, that you should be the person they tell first. At the end of the day, you can help them more than your friends can.
Another thing that you can do so you can be aware of how safe your children are online is to just befriend them on different platforms. That way you will be able to keep track of what they are posting, where they are going, and who they are hanging out with.
Note that they may not want their parents to know everything that they are sharing on the platforms, so you may need to become a bit creative and create a fake profile that you can use to monitor the things that your loved ones are involved in.
Know that this may go in a different way, because if you teach them that they should not accept anyone and everyone as their followers, they may choose to ignore the request that you send from a fake profile.
One of the biggest no-no’s, in this case, is communicating with them from your second profile. Try not to interact with them too much, as you don’t want to create a fake friend that will end up in their disappointment and distrust.
One of the best ways that you can monitor your children's behaviors and create rules is to get a phone tracker software. There are many benefits that come with these apps, as you can use them not only to track your children but also to teach them how to properly use the internet.
You can create rules about the websites that they are using, you can see who they are communicating with, and you can also have access to their contacts and in case you cannot reach your loved ones, you can just message their friends to ask about their whereabouts.
You can talk to them about the time when they use the internet, how they use it, the passwords that they set, the people they talk to. You can practice these things together, but ultimately, you will need to let your kid do their own things.
However, until you are sure that you can fully trust them, you can always use a tracker to see if they are obeying the rules if they are following your advice; and if they are being smart and safe. When choosing the right app for your needs, make sure you choose something transparent, easily accessible, and a platform that is user-friendly. Talk to your children about the platform you are using, and the access you have with it.
Make sure you implement it on every device that they may be using, so that you don’t miss out on any important updates when it comes to your loved ones and what they do online.
Now let’s talk about one of the most important parts of your conversations that will help your children know how to stay safe no matter what. As we all know, young adults want to show their connection with someone by sharing their personal details. This is something that we’ve done, this is something that our children are doing.
However, there are things that should not be shared with anyone, and you need to talk to your loved ones about how their behavior can lead them into serious trouble. The first thing you need to talk about is passwords, how they should choose them, how often they should change them, and how to remember them.
Teach them that they should never use the same password on several accounts and that no matter what, they should not give their password to their friends, or even their partners.
You should also teach them about sharing pictures, especially with strangers. It is really easy to meet new people online, but your kids should know that they should never share their selfies or any other types of pictures with people that they don’t know.
Make sure they understand that they should not share their location with people they don’t trust, and they should never give out their home address. Teach them how to protect themselves at all times, and how to make sure they are not followed by a random person they met online.
The next thing you should be talking about your loved ones is how to see the difference between something that is real and valid, and something that is potentially harmful. We are all aware that the internet is filled with misleading information, and just one wrong click can easily lead to trouble.
You don’t want your kids to believe that someone needs their help when they don’t, you don’t want them to believe that they can win the new popular game if they just fill out a survey, and you definitely don’t want to share any personal information with a website that is going to abuse and store that data.
You should teach them how to notice which sites are perfectly fine and secure, which websites are encrypted, and what it means to allow cookies when they browse something.
You should also give them some hidden tips and tricks, and help them learn things that will add an additional layer of security. Note that even though giving them tips like this may make things more difficult for you to monitor, ultimately, it is going to help them say safer.
Teaching them these things even from the youngest age will help your little ones stay safe no matter if it is now, or in a decade from now. In addition, they may share this information with their friends, which will make their friends safer, and by that, your kid protected as well.
We are well aware that there are so many bullies online, and there is nothing we can do to stop them from expressing their opinion or even harassing others. These people can be as young as our children, or they can be much older.
You can try to keep your loved ones safe for as long as possible, but they are bound to get in contact with these bullies that will either try to attack your little ones, or they will tell them things that are untrue.
You should talk to your children about these people, and first and foremost, you should teach them that they should never bully someone for no matter what reasons. You should teach them how to be nice, how to accept anyone, and how to spread love and positivity.
In addition to this, you can talk to them about the things that these people can do, the harm they can do, and what your child should do in case they are ever in contact with someone like this. Teach them how to defend themselves, and teach them that the block and report buttons are there for a reason.
In case your little one gets upset about something that someone said about them online, you should sit with them, talk, and justify their emotions. Don’t tell them to get over it, and try to understand where they are coming from. Build a good connection with your kids, and let them know that you are going to be there for them, no matter what.
Lastly, you should be there for your little ones to help them set their first passwords, and learn how to use them practically. Most young adults are going to set just one password, usually a combination of their birthday, or their pet’s birthday, along with their initials or something similar. These digits are pretty easy to break, and someone who has a bit more information about them is going to breach their profiles.
Talk to them about the random characters, and how they should use them. Give them tips and tricks on this, and help them set the security questions as well. Teach them about two-factor authorizations, and how it can help them in the long run. Talking about these things with your loved ones will be extremely beneficial in the long run.
As you can see, helping your children stay safe is not that difficult, and you just need to have patience, and gradually ease them into the internet world. Help them understand why they should never use untrusted websites, how to make sure their data is encrypted, and how to steer away from people that could potentially harm them. Learn with them, and don’t get upset if they make a mistake.