Updated February 2021. At BeSecureOnline, we believe that knowledge is power and by informing both yourself and your children of the dangers of the internet – you can help make the internet a safer place.
Internet safety for kids is at the heart of our business. We provide internet safety talks for kids and teens year-round and have developed a realistic, fun approach to addressing issues and the dangers the internet often presents.
In this article, we to share a few helpful internet safety tips in the hope that they not only keep your children safe online but that they are used throughout the year by the entire family.
Although this may seem like a given – many children have their contact details and address listed on their Social Media profiles.
Make sure to check your child’s profile and have them go over their privacy and security settings in front of you to ensure they are fully protected.
Once a picture is posted online a lot of people can see it and can download it. The photo or video becomes public and is no longer just yours anymore. Especially in TikTok.
Every social media channel allows you to protect your privacy using different settings. Make sure your privacy settings are up to date and don’t allow any strangers to view your personal information.
Got very young kids who like to play games on your Phone. Pop all the games into one folder on your phone blocking access to the rest of your phone. Just before handing him/her the phone, switch off WiFi/Data so adverts can't run. Sweet eh!
Cybercriminals and online predators prey on the ignorance of children – that’s a fact. Your child must understand that there are people out there who want to hurt them and that strangers are just that – strangers. Strangers are just that strangers not friends you haven't met yet. They're just strangers.
Talk to them about stranger danger. Explain that they MUST tell you about strangers trying to talk to them online.
Tell your kids to talk to you or their carer about people suggesting that they meet up online. Children fall victim to this more often than you think and they unknowingly put themselves at risk.
Again, the ignorance of children is preyed on. They believe what people tell them online and before they know it they are caught up in a stream of lies – believing whatever the person tells them.
This leaves them open to online fraud and scams, and kidnapping if they agree to meet up with persons they meet online.
Children often don’t consider the impact of their Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat status. Bullies, their victims, attention seekers and the children in between all need to have the implications of their online words explained to them so that the enormity of their actions is understood.
Cyberbullying is one of the biggest issues plaguing schools today – that together with sexting.
Talk to your child about the consequences of online bullying. Also, make sure your child knows they can talk to you if they are being bullied online – suicide and self-harm statistics are steadily increasing as more and more children enter the online world.
Keyboard warriors – a term growing in use more and more each day.
Children and teens need to understand that although their views may differ – they are not wrong or right. Bravery behind a keyword often leads to vicious online arguments and hurtful things said.
Learning to respect the opinions of others will take them far in life and will help avoid any unnecessary online arguments. We tell kids in Zoom or School Talks that the online world makes things more robust and nastier online, every kid knows this to be true, almost all kids have witnessed it. Schoolyard bullying is nearly a thing of the past, social media is bush kids use to hide behind.
Make sure your children feel comfortable talking to you about things they feel uncomfortable with. Often children are exposed to things online that they shouldn’t be – this is unavoidable.
Let them know that if they do see things online that they are uncomfortable with – they can talk to you about them or report them to the nearest adult. Suicide and self-harm statistics
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In addition to these internet safety tips – there are several apps, antiviruses and parental control software you can purchase.
Both offer you control over what your child does online, what they can view when they can view and for how long.
F-Secure SAFE allows you to protect your entire family with one subscription and set healthy boundaries for kids' device use.
However, BeSecureOnline offers a range of online packages to suit your budget – allowing you to choose the number of computers and devices you would like to protect.
Visit our online store or contact us for more information.
These are some of our most-read articles about parental control, online safety from our blogs.
Internet Safety Tips for Kids - Keeping Kids Safe Online 10k + reads Fortnite - Explained Is it good for my kids? Don't spend a penny on your children's online protection, here's how!
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