Protect Your Children From Online Predators
Parents have a natural instinct to protect their children, and as a parent, it’s important for you to keep an eye on your children and know what they’re doing in order to protect them from harm. We love our children and want to keep them safe. Here are some things you can and should do to keep them safe while they are on the internet.
You
need to make sure that you teach your child how to make smart decisions and how
to be safe. But most importantly, you need to teach them to how to be safe both
in real life and online.
There
are plenty of online predators in the world today that prey on young children,
and with social media and online forums becoming more and more popular among
today’s youth, your children are more at risk.
This
is why it’s very important that you not only talk with your child about the
dangers of online predators, but you also set some guidelines and rules for
their Internet use.
Set time limits.
If
your child is using the Internet for social purposes, make sure you set a time
limit. You can decide how much time is spent on these sites and let your child
know that you’re doing it for their protection.
Keep the computer public.
Make
sure that your family’s computer is in a public room in your home and that your
child is not allowed to use the computer in their own bedroom or separated from
anyone else. This way, you can keep an eye on the sites they visit.
Make rules.
Let
your child know that you are willing to allow them to join a social network as
long as they are friends with you and as long as you have their password. This
way, you can monitor who they’re talking to, what they’re saying and how
they’re using these sites. You can then be aware of anything out of the
ordinary that requires your immediate attention.
Keep it private.
If
your child has a social account, make sure that their account is set to
private. This way, their profile is not publicly viewable to anyone and only
their friends can see what they post. Plus, this also makes their name
unsearchable.
Teach them to be cautious.
Children
are naïve, but it’s important you teach them about the dangers of online
predators. Let them know that not everyone they meet online is who they claim
to be, and that they should never “friend” anyone they don’t know. Tell them
that they should never share intimate details about themselves with online
strangers, and they should never under any circumstance meet someone in person
that they met online.
Keep an eye out.
Even
with your rules and guidelines in place, it’s important to keep an eye on your
child and their use of the Internet. Make sure you pay attention to the sites
they’re visiting and who they’re friends with online. This can help you realize
that your child may be in danger or may be making poor choices (such as abusing
drugs or alcohol), and it can help you create a solution before the situation
gets out of hand.
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