Navigating the Internet with Your Child
Protecting your kids at home used to be as simple as locking the front door. Today, it can feel like your front door is permanently propped wide open as high-speed Internet connects your children to information and people around the world. Children as young as 2 can easily navigate to their favorite Web sites, and according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than 70% of 4 to 6 year-olds use a computer. That can sound daunting to parents who worry that there are dangers lurking around every online corner. The reality is that there are many age-appropriate Web sites for children, and parental controls make it easy to ensure your child is visiting only those sites you approve of.
As a Geek Squad Agent and a father of a five year-old, Ive experienced first-hand the parental anxieties about how to approach computer use with your child and Im often asked for tips on what to do. Here are few suggestions for commonly asked questions:
- Visit and discover new Web sites with your child. If you understand your childs favorite Web sites, youll eventually feel comfortable for him to visit them alone and later can ask your child how he enjoyed playing games or answering trivia on the sites.
- Set parental controls. Regardless of your Internet service provider, there are ways to set controls so that your child cannot access inappropriate Web sites. You can also purchase parental control software like Net Nanny.
- Keep your family computer in a common area. This will make it easier for you to monitor your childs online activities.
- Bookmark approved Web sites for your child on your favorites list. Sites like www.nationalgeographic.com/kids, www.pbskids.org and yahooligans.yahoo.comare downright fun for kids. If you help provide engaging content for your child, he or she will be less tempted to search for new sites.
- Keep an eye on instant messaging and chat room visits. Most children do not begin instant messaging with their friends or visiting chat rooms until elementary school. Once they begin, however, its important to sit down with your child to discuss that the do not talk to strangers rule applies online, too.
- Keep your computer clean of spyware. Spyware can cause unwanted and inappropriate pop-ups to appear on the screen, not to mention slow your computers processing speed and make it easier for someone to steal files and information from your computer even from miles away.
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Member Comments On...
Navigating the Internet with Your Child
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As a parent, I constantly struggle with the balance of watching out for my kids (when they go online or otherwise) versus spying on them. Thanks god, there are a variety of parental control tools available, so every parent could try find a tool that will fit his requirements to protect their children from sexual predator. The one I use is Ez Internet Timer http://www.internettimer.net that allows controlling online usage of my kids.
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Yes, a group of concerned parents and educators have created a free safe place for kids to surf on with being subjected to open networks that would allow predators to prey on our children.
The site for parents is www.safewave.org which has created a site for children that is age specific. Enrollment is done through the schools so there will never be adults communicating with your children or adults posing as children.
There is lots of useful and free information @ http://www.safewave.org
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Is there somewhere else that parents should go to stay updated or to find out how to solve specific problems?
