Ways of Protection On The Cyber Playground

Slides, swing sets, seesaws, outdoor courts, parks. There was a time when the world of play for kids was limited to these. You accompanied your child to the local park and watched over her as she climbed up and down the jungle gym. Or you scolded your son for coming home dripping wet because he played basketball with neighbors in the rain.

Now, your children’s playground is no longer one that you can see. It’s not a physical place where you can keep an eye on your kids and make sure of their safety. You can’t run to them when a stranger goes near, or take them home when an accident happens. Your kids’ playground is now virtual: a world that exists on its own, brought on by advances in technology. The new children’s playground is cyberspace. There should also be internet safety rules for kids.

How do you expect to protect child internet safety in this new dimension, then? You can’t see who they deal with, or hope to know everything they do online. Is there any way to ensure their safety while they are on the internet? Of course there are. When it comes to your children’s safety, nothing is impossible. Like on an actual playground, there should be internet safety rules for kids to be followed when dealing with your kids and the internet.

Talk to your child - Child internet safety means really talking to your child. This is probably the first and best thing you can do. True enough, there is a chance that your kids might disregard your concern for their safety, but at least they’ll know. Child internet safety means telling your kids not to give out private information over the internet, especially your home address and phone numbers. Explain to them the dangers if these details fall into the wrong hands. Make sure they know that you are not scolding them, but keeping them safe.

Talk to your Internet Service Providers - The people who set up your internet connection can help you in maintaining internet safety for children. All you have to do is ask them, and they can give you advice on how to screen the websites your children can visit, and control what kind of information pops out on your home computer screens. If you are a technology buff or have friends who are, it will be most useful for safety measures.

Guard confidential information - When it comes to money matters, internet safety for children may be a weak spot for the bad hearted. What you can do is to make sure your credit card numbers, safe deposit combinations, passwords, bank account information and financial documents are out of your children’s hands. This way, you can keep them safe from the many scams and who knows what else on the internet.

Keep track of your child’s internet time - This is a task that is easier said than done. It really is quite difficult to tear a grade-school child or a teenager away from a computer screen. This is especially true when they’re playing games or checking out social networks. But having a time frame for using the internet at home, like two hours before bedtime, is a big step towards ensuring your kids’ safety. Less lax time for your kids means fewer chances for strangers to get closer to them.