As useful as it is to have a reliable Internet connection in your home, you still need to be careful about how it\u2019s used if you have young children.<\/p>\n
Your kids will never know a time when the Internet wasn\u2019t readily available, and they might not give a second thought to cyber safety whenever they log into the family computer.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it is up to you to help keep them safe by following these simple tips.<\/p>\n
In some modern households, the computer may have replaced TV as the great\u00a0\u201cvirtual babysitter.\u201d<\/em>\n This means that some parents might think that all they need to do is sit their children in front of a computer screen to keep them happy for hours just like parents have done with their TVs for years. This may be a very bad idea.<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019ve taught your older children how to behave online and how to stay safe, no amount of education can replace supervision. You don\u2019t always need to look over your children\u2019s shoulders when they\u2019re online, but you should check in with them to make sure that what they\u2019re doing is safe.<\/p>\n You\u2019re probably aware that you can spend hours doing practically nothing online. The same goes for children. There is a lot that can keep them entertained on the Internet, so set a curfew to make sure they\u2019re not spending too much time on their devices.<\/p>\n An hour or so in the evening should be enough computer time for a young child. If you must, set up a parental lock that prevents your children from using your computer after a certain time.<\/p>\n You should hopefully know that you should never give out information such as your address or phone number to someone you don\u2019t know online, but your children might not know this.<\/p>\n Make it very clear that they should never share information such as their phone number, their address, or even their real names with people online that they don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n This will almost certainly come up with your older children once they start using social media. If your children are using social media to talk to friends, make sure they know exactly who those friends are before they share anything.<\/p>\n2. Set a curfew<\/h2>\n
3. Never give out personal information<\/h2>\n