Worry about your children getting trouble with strangers they meet online? Well, you’re not alone, as more and more parents think about this possibility every day. But rather than constantly thinking about it and getting paranoid, there are things you can do to protect your children from opportunistic strangers online.
Simple web surfing and exchanges of personal messages with friends are common activities for many kids online these days – and “generally”, these things are safe. Generally safe if and only if you have talked to your child some rules of use. We teach our kids not to talk to strangers, the same goes with talking to strangers online.
Use Computer and Internet Monitoring Software
Chatting with strangers may feel different, and there’s no way to actually know the risk. However, the FBI warns that, kids who internet activity is not monitored by their parents or guardians are more likely to be exploited by online predators whom they met as friendly strangers online. This is why it is important to use computer and internet monitoring software. These software programs come with parental controls where you can set, filter and block specific sites and pages.
Put the Computer In Common House Areas
Rather than keeping the computer inside your kids’ bedroom, putt he computer in common areas in the house. This will discourage them and keep them from getting tempted in visiting adult sites and other prohibited pages where strangers can reach them easily.
Warn Your Child of the Danger
There are tons of shady individuals out there who pose as kids or teens online just to reach unsuspecting kids. Warn your child of the dangers of these risks and use some tangible examples you find in news and online news. Tell your child to never share his/her personal information online, especially house phone number, mobile number, home address, name of school, etc.