Most households have a computer, along with other ways to connect to the Internet, and why not? The internet truly is a great tool for families to communicate and learn. While there are countless great things on the Internet, there is also a dark side. Anyone with a family should take the time to protect their children from them. While it may be impossible to watch your children 24/7, it’s not impossible to protect them quite easily. Here are four lessons for parents on how to keep track of what their children are doing online, and trust me, they are important!
Privacy
The first thing any parent should know is that the internet is not private. Not only do people usually use their real identification, but their IP address is not hidden. Anything your child posts will instantly become public knowledge. Not only that, there is no such thing as anonymous browsing, sincethe IP address can easily be traced. This means that your children could suffer consequences if they are posting private or explicit content on social networking sites or forums.
Everyone Suffers
Parents can suffer too. If a child posts online, the parents can be held accountable for the child’s actions or words. Remember, as the owner of the Internet connection in your house, it is your responsibility to make sure they are not abusive to others while online or accessing any content that is illegal for them to see, hear or read. As the owner of the connection, you can filter out websites that they are allowed to visit. Furthermore, you can also filter out genres and keywords.
Face Time
The Internet is a great tool, and kids should learn how to use it properly. As a parent, you should try and limit their Internet time to necessary matters. If a child is constantly on Facebook or forums, they are missing out on real life. One lesson to learn is making sure your child lives his or her life. If a child is not on the Internet often, and instead, around friends and family, they will not have as many opportunities to sit around and get into trouble. Remember, browsing the web is supposed to be and can be very fun, but your child needs a life outside of the Internet. So, set a good example and show your kids the real world.
Up To You
The biggest lesson anyone should take from this is that it is up to you to stop problems. Few safeguards on the Internet are even close to fool-proof. If you are worried about your children’s activities online, take a proactive approach. Without your involvement, they will eventually get into trouble. Not only do you need to watch their activities, you need to encourage them to do healthy and educational things while online.Most children have access to the Internet at almost all times, so remember to be vigilant and set a good example. If you catch your son or daughter doing something bad online, you should make sure the punishment fits the crime, and clearly communicate why this is the case. So many children underestimate the consequences of their actions online – but it doesn’t have to be this way.
Rocky Granger writes about parenting, education and more. Her most recent work is on the Top 10 TED Talks on Education.
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