I am rather paranoid these days. I have two young children and while they have not been "on the internet" yet, I am concerned that when they become old enough to start using it, I am just exposing them to the worse things in the world.
I am always hearing stories of adults grooming children online, children ending up in weird communities with adults, and kids being exposed to porn among other things at a very young age.
What can I do to protect my children whilst allowing them to enjoy using the internet for studying, research, learning, playing , and growing?
Make use of programs, browser add-ons, and apps that will block this stuff from even being seen or found online. It isn't 100% secure but it will add a level of security that would otherwise not be there. There will always be ways around stuff.
Kids Safe Search is a great browser option.
Norton Family allows you to set rules for most things on your computer or phone.
Bark helps with monitoring social media.
Net Nanny is an all around child safety system.
jibbex98 28/05/2024 10:20 pm
I understand. There is a lot of concern right now as more light is being shed on the topic. You have to do what you can to keep your kids safe online. Thankfully we have tools to do it but learning how they function and how to implement them is key!
I know not everyone likes to hear this but if you child is under the age of 16, they really shouldn't be on the internet unless it is being heavily supervised. There are more concerns now than ever before with child safety and porn and violent content is easily accessible, sometimes mistakenly. It is against the law for children to go into bars or adult shops yet very few bring up the same case for the internet. I think the best way to ensure your child is safe is to not make it easily accessible.