Back-to-school Internet Safety Tips

As summer comes to a close, kids head back to school and parents return to working on site, it is time to turn your attention to online safety once again. Here are nine tips to keep your children safe.

1. Limit Phone and Tablet Use to Common Areas of the Home

The dangers to your children are greatest when they are unsupervised. While you cannot watch them around the clock, you can limit that sense of being unprotected and unlimited. Set up a desktop computer in a family area, and do not allow tablets to be used in bedrooms and the like.

2. Make Use of Parental Privacy Settings

There is an internet settings where you can block not-kid-friendly sites. Many internet providers such as Spectrum and HughesNet provides customer support that you can call and ask them to guide you on how to set the internet settings to block sites. Kids are often exposed on social media because the privacy settings on their accounts are not set correctly. As parents, we cannot expect them to do it. Be aware of each account they have, and use the settings to limit contact with strangers, sharing of images and so forth.

3. Pause Before Posting

Often, when children become exposed online, it is a parent’s fault. In most cases, there is no intent there. It just happens without really thinking it through. Experts recommend that whenever you have the impulse to post concerning your children, take a short timeout, and then post.

4. Friend Only People Known IRL

Tweens and teens tend to get more privileges online, but with that comes added risk. Have the talk about not friending people you do not know in real life. Remind them on occasion as well.

5. Never Share Personal Information Online

This is one of the most common mistakes parents make online. They may mention a last name or the name of a school in captioning a photo. They may post a photo that reveals information in the picture itself but also the metadata, such as GPS information. Predators can use these details.

6. Know Passwords and Monitor Social Media

Ensure that your children make good passwords and that they change them regularly. Remind them not to give them to anyone but you. Finally, do not feel bad about monitoring their accounts. It may feel like an invasion of privacy, but it is an important step in keeping them safe.

7. Be Cognizant of the Usernames Your Kids Choose

Children—and adults too—often choose usernames that reveal details about them without actually intending to. Online usernames also have a way of following a person around, so if they choose an improper username, help them to understand why it is bad.

8. Never Agree to Meet an Online Persona

This may seem obvious, but local predators can dupe people due their proximity or what they know. If your child meets someone online that perhaps they do know locally, find a way to verify that familiarity that does not involve using the internet.

9. Do Not Let Cyberbullying Stand

If you see any form of cyberbullying, tell your child not to respond. Take action to block those messages if possible, and then tell whoever you can whether it is the other parent, school or even the police. There are too many tragedies that began with parents reticent to take the next step.

Your Child Needs You

Parents often worry that their children will resent them. That is rarely the case. Although they may not always show it, they are actually thankful for limits and that kind of involvement in their lives, and as they grow older and more mature, they will only love you and respect you more for it.