subject: 5 Ways To Keep Your Children Secure On The Internet [print this page] 5 Ways To Keep Your Children Secure On The Internet
#1) Make Time: This may seem obvious, but in today's busy world, it's easy to forget sometimes. With so many households having both parents working to support their families, social time with all family members together is becoming smaller and smaller every year. Because of this fact, a priority must be made by both parents to set aside time to spend with their children. A great time is in the evening after dinnertime, when the day starts to wind down. Usually by that time, homework is completed, and kids are in a receptive mood to "hang out" before bedtime. Ask questions to your kids what their favorite sites are, or, better yet, pop in their rooms and take a peek! You'll be surprised by what you see sometimes...
#2) Don't Be Afraid To Ask: Sometimes kids can be very secretive and even intimidating to their parents when they are asked questions about their social lives. Because most children today use social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to do their socializing, it relates to my topic. I'm going through this phase with my 14 year-old daughter right now. She's at the point where I can't be at the mall when she is there with friends in case I "embarass" her. Of course, if I need to be at the mall at the same time as her, I go anyway, but it is still frustrating when she complains later at home about it. If I pop into her room unannounced, she will usually lean over her laptop screen to hide it. The important thing to remember is: don't let it stop you. Get to know your children's friends and their parents if you can. Find out what Internet sites your kids like to frequent. If you think that your kids are getting involved some potentially harmful things on the Web, don't be afraid to ask for passwords and check for yourself. Stay involved with their Internet activities.
#3) Say "NO": Surfing the Web should be thought of as a privilege, not a right. If my children are disrespectful to me, or skip out on chores, the laptop is the first thing that I will take away from them, and it gets them to comply to my requests every time. Their laptops have become invaluable to them not only for educational reasons, but for social contact with friends and out-of-state family. Because of its importance to them, it is the perfect way to keep them in line.
#4) Set Rules: This suggestion has some similarities to #3. During the school year especially, I set a time in the evening when the laptops are put away for the night, and I do surprise checks at night occasionally when I can't sleep. Sometimes, the kids find themselves "busted" at a late hour, unfortunately for them! Also, during "family time" which is set aside weekly depending on our schedules, laptops and cellphones are set aside for person-to-person contact. If rules such as nighttime curfews or report card expectations are broken or not met, we have a family rule that laptops are confiscated for a set period of time. By providing a structure of rules, children learn to respect their Internet time more.
#5) Get A Monitoring Service: Of course, we as parents can't be there all of the time to watch our kids on the Internet. Between working multiple jobs, taking care of a household, and trying to raise three kids, there are times where I can only hope that my children are safe and secure when they are surfing the Web. It is for these times that an Internet security service can be invaluable. These services work in such a way that they are not easily detectable by kids. They can alert parents when a child may potentially in the process of being stalked by an Internet predator or cyber-bully. All parents with Web-surfing kids should strongly consider this option, to provide Internet security for their children.
