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The Secrets to Raising a Smarter Child Recommended |
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Important Internet Safety Tips for Kids – Part IIBy Andrew Loh It is completely normal for your children to use internet. The time has already changed, while the usage of internet has become ubiquitous. Internet has global and everyone is using the internet, including a ten year old child. While parents cannot control what is published online on a web portal, they can easily control how their children use internet and in what manner they become responsible in the art of internet surfing. Home is the place where children start learning the art of internet surfing. Parents introduce their children to the world of internet at an early age. However, the way in which a child uses the internet facility plays an important role. Your children may invite danger, if they are not careful, with whom they are talking to and/or sharing their personal information. Before learning the importance of Internet safety tips for kids, you will first need to learn and understand the internet usage pattern by children and teens, and all the potential dangers related to them. So, what are the big concerns that you must address, while considering safety tips for internet? According to popular surveys conducted in the past, the two most important online dangers those that your children are likely to encounter are as follow:
Hence, the internet safety tips that you chose for your children should solely focus on the above-mentioned issues. Internet safety starts at your home and with your home computer. The first few years (5-10 years) may not be so dangerous for your children because, you will be guiding your children in their quest to learn the basics of internet. In fact, you chose what you children learn and comprehend. Most probably, you will be choosing those sites that relate to stories, interactive games or those that relate to their classroom project work. However, the real trouble starts when your children start surfing the internet outside your home, in their class or elsewhere. This is the time when children come into contact with their peers, who have online profiles on social book marking web sites. You may lose your control on your children at this juncture, because they will be having their access to internet facilities outside the home and on their mobile phones. Whatever the case, you can still raise responsible and internet savvy children, who really know what they are doing on their computers and how they surf their web portals. Responsible children, who know how to surf internet web sites effectively, also know which sites to avoid and how they should behave when they come into contact with online strangers. Here are some general internet safety tips and suggestions that could help you teach your children remain on their guard all the time: Tip: Make sure that you install a cyber activity monitor software tool to control the web sites that your children visit and see. These software tools are simple to install and use. These tools work by blocking important keywords those are related to pornography and sex. Sit down and talk to your children: It is very important that your children should know and understand what you want from them. You should let them know that you are concerned with their safety when they are using internet. In other words, you should try to train their minds to have an orientation towards the most common internet safety protocols. Set rules and guidelines: Internet is all about useful and strict guidelines. Everyone should follow some basic rules and guidelines. This applies to your children as well. Your children should know how long they should use their computer. You should assert yourself on what your children can do and cannot do online. Discuss the basics of instant chatting, messaging, blogging and social networking. You may also need to assert on the type of service your children want to gain access online. Making sure your children are following your guidelines: Rules are good, only when they are followed by your children. Your children should listen to your guidelines and they should make sure that they are following them. Pay your attention: Ensure that you are keeping a watch on your children, when they are working with their computers. Check out what they are doing, when they are using internet. Master how to use latest technology: There are hundreds of safety tips available on the internet. You may wish to study them in detail and later apply them to your children. Take your time to learn more about internet surfing filters, firewalls and kid browsers. You should know how to use these tools before teaching the basics to your children. Be a detective: Do some detective work on your children's computer; check browsing history, cache and cookie collection to see what your children are actually doing. Make sure that you are checking downloaded files and installed software as well. One important thing that you must do here is to check for their online profiles by entering their names or nicknames on one of the major search engines. You can even enter your personal phone number, as well the address of your home to see, if your children are using them on some sites. Watch out for tell-tale warning signals: Cyber bullying is one of the most common online threats. Some children might experience this unfavorable situation, when they are visiting social networking sites. In case, there in increased incidence of cyber bullying, your child may get frightened and withdraw from normal daily activities. Watch out for any unusual changes in your children's behavior. Additional tips:
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