Internet safety tips for children

22 Mar Internet safety tips for children

The internet is a platform where anything under the sun can be learnt about in a single click. This is beneficial for sure, but can also be misused by certain people. It’s imperative for parents to exercise proper control over their child’s use of the internet and ensure that he/ she uses the platform only for a constructive purpose. Here are a few internet safety tips that parents need to exercise for their children:

Check age restrictions

Most websites have age restrictions and you are not allowed to sign up for the account unless you are old enough. Mostly these restrictions are 13+ or 18+. Make sure that your child follows the age restriction and signs up only on those websites that are suitable for his/ her age.

Communicate with your children

Most parents find it difficult to talk openly with their children. It is not a wise idea to hold back when it comes to communicating with them regarding certain important things. Discuss about the safe practices of using the internet and the boundaries that they must set for themselves. Help them to feel comfortable to come and speak with you whenever there is a problem.

Don’t allow them to give out any personal information

We are living in a day and age where cyber-crimes are happening in a huge way. In this scenario, it is very important for everyone to refrain from giving out too much personal information or posting too many personal photos on the internet. Explain the risk factor involved in doing this to your child and make sure he/ she doesn’t do it. Use ‘Privacy Settings’ on social media to have control over who can view the content you put out.

Keep a check on your child’s internet activity

You need not interfere in everything that your child does on various platforms on the internet. However, it is your duty, up to a certain age of your child, to ensure that he/ she does not access content that can affect his/ her thought process. Block the sites that you feel are not suitable for your child. Schools are equally responsible for exercising control over viewable content. Good international schools in Bangalore always keep a check on children’s’ activity and make sure that they access the right content on the internet.

Advice your children not to open attachments that come from unknown sources

If your child has an e-mail account, then he/she might get e-mails with virus-affected attachments. Advise them to not open any such attachment as this could affect the entire system. He/she should also be advised to not download random software into the computer system.

Advise children to not believe everything they find on the internet

Tell your children that everything they find online is not true. There can be a lot of fake news out there and this should not affect them. Advise them to not speak with strangers and never head out to meet an internet friend.

It should be a collective effort of parents as well as schools to lead children on the right path and keep them away from the negative effects of the internet. Sharanya Narayani International School (SNIS) is one of the best boarding schools in Bangalore that follows the international curriculum. As part of its curriculum, SNIS teaches its students about being safe while using the internet. The school also has very strict policies and rules when it comes to internet safety of the students and makes sure that children are given access to only that content which is good for their development.