Supervising Children’s Online Behavior and Safety | 4 Guidelines for Parents

According to Safewise, 58% of parents worry about their kids’ online habits. Their main concerns include exposure to inappropriate content and internet interactions, especially with strangers. 

Supervising Children’s Online Behavior and Safety | 4 Guidelines for Parents
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As parents or guardians, it’s natural you want your children to be safe online and offline. Check out the guidelines below to see how to boost your kid’s internet security and supervise their online behavior!

1. Be There for Their First Online Steps

If your child has never used the internet, you can’t expect them to know how to behave in the virtual world. It’s vital to be by their side during their first online steps. You can teach them how to use a web browser and point them to sites with age-appropriate content.

Use every opportunity to explore the internet together. That way, you’ll understand how your kid wants to use the web better. It’ll also give more time to discuss appropriate online behavior.

2. Establish Ground Rules Together

While teaching your child how to behave online, establish ground rules when surfing the web. Depending on your kid’s age, these could include the following:

Social media is off-limits. The usual age limit to have an account on social media is 13 years old. However, there are certain social networks made for children before they “qualify” for Facebook or Instagram.

No talking to strangers. It also includes accepting them as friends on social media.

Never share personal details. It includes location and other sensitive info that predators and bullies might abuse.

Only use the internet when an adult is around. It can be a wise ground rule for children until the age of ten or so.

Parents must know their kids’ account passwords. It’s another rule convenient for younger kids, but teens will find it harder to accept.

Don’t use bad words when communicating with others. Children should treat everyone with respect while browsing the web.

Never click on suspicious links. That includes those received via social media or email. Even if it’s from a friend, it could be a virus.

Always report inappropriate or doubtful content. If your kid feels uneasy about something they noticed on the web, they should talk to you about it.

It’s smart to print and hang the rules in a visible place. That’ll serve as a reminder of how your children should behave online.

3. Review the Websites They Visit

Staying in the loop is crucial thing when supervising kids’ online behavior. Using the web together or demanding they only go online when you are around is an option while children are younger. As they get older, allow them to surf the web without your supervision, especially if the kids show they are trustworthy.

But despite that, make sure to review the websites they visit. You’ll find them in the browser history. Take time to analyze the website type, content, and other relevant factors. You can use web filters to ensure kids can’t access certain sites anymore.

Parents should also check the games and apps their children use. Gaming titles have age ratings that could help understand suitability better.

4. Install Parental Control Apps

If your kid has a smartphone, it gives you a way to communicate at any moment. But a mobile phone also serves to play games, browse the web, and chat via messages and social apps. Experts advise installing parental monitoring software on the device before handing it to your kid.

These tools ensure you can supervise the device activity to ensure you don’t miss anything important. The best parental control app for iPhone offers detailed message reports and alerts if it detects a “suspicious” messages. Those could be related to narcotics, violence, or sex.

Parental monitoring tools come with web filters and safe browsing options, and complete app control. You can disable downloaded apps at any moment or desired time. For example, if the kid is working on their homework, disabling these apps could help them focus. Increditools offers a list of the best parental monitoring tools that you can use to track your family’s location at all times.

Final Thoughts

Keeping your kids safe and supervising their online behavior is an ongoing task. Daily actions are necessary, including browsing the web together and discussing online interactions to offer valuable feedback. 

Reviewing the visited sites, applying privacy settings, and using parental control tools can be essential assets in securing your kid’s online safety. Come up with a strategy that fits your kid’s age and start applying it as soon as possible. With a bit of time and effort, you’ll ensure staying in the loop and keeping your child safe online!