HOW TO ENSURE A SAFE ONLINE EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR KIDS

The Internet is an extraordinary place where you can discover a bunch of new things and learn a lot but sadly it has a negative side as well that could be potentially dangerous to vulnerable audiences, like children.

In life it is important to grow as a person, to grow in knowledge, and to be ambitious in achieving success. The internet is a great tool you can use to help you grow. You can find anything you may be searching for and more, the problem comes when your kid is still too young and he/she is unable to identify the good and the bad content on the internet.

Gadgets, Apps and Social Media (believe it or not) have become part of the Educational System. The advances made are overwhelming for kids and the thought of them not being able to handle so many things is worrying. Because of this, companies stand for the young ones by designing a security system that allows kids to explore specific subjects on the internet, or a newly customized explorer for young people, where they can safely only enjoy the positive side of the internet.

1. Use The Strictest Privacy Setting Possible When Posting About Children: We like to use social media to keep in touch with our family and friends. Often that includes posting information about our children. However, you have to consider that privacy settings can and do change, and what you post may not be as private as you might think it is. Avoid giving information that potential predators could use to piece together specific details about your child’s life. This information can help them create a pattern of life for your child, including where they go to school, who their friends are, and where their weekly activities take place.

2. Turn Off EXIF Data When Posting Photos of Your Children: EXIF data is information in a digital picture that gives details about the camera or smartphone that took the photo, including the exact geographic location. This feature is turned on by default on most digital devices. While some social media sites strip the EXIF data, others do not. For example, if you are posting pics of your child at dance class and add as a caption that they attend regular Saturday sessions, a predator can piece together the exact location of the dance studio through EXIF data and know that your child is there every Saturday.

3. Watch What You Say About Your Children on Blogs or Social Media: Remember that privacy settings can change and do change. College boards, job recruiters, and even credit card companies now peruse social media in order to get a better sense of who a person is. If you continuously post that your child is having problems at school (like that they got caught cheating or fighting), this could someday come back to haunt them or even prevent them from getting into the college of their choice or landing their dream job.

4. Have an Online Version of the “Don’t Take Candy From Strangers” Talk With Younger Kids: It is important that children and young adults know that the people they talk to online may not be who they say they are. This is critical for kids to learn as they get older to protect themselves online. Even some online games geared toward younger children have social media aspects to them, such as the ability to trade barnyard animals with other players online. Unfortunately, the bad guys know and use these games to target young children. This is why this conversation is so critical in protecting your children.

5. Stay Informed of Apps and Usage: Know what apps, online games, and social media sites your children are using and make sure to “friend” them so that you can monitor who their friends are and who they’re communicating with. Make sure that you have their Google Play Store and iTunes passwords so that you can see what apps and games they have downloaded. Become familiar with the applications so that you can discuss with your children exactly what the apps are doing and what other access the apps have on their devices. Always ensure that your children use the strictest privacy settings available.

6. Beware of Apps That Claim To Delete Photos and Video: If you suspect that your child is downloading apps without your knowledge or using a communication app that claims to be anonymous or causes the conversation or posted photo to “disappear”, make sure to get involved. Not all of these types of apps really make the data “disappear” as they claim to and you want to teach your kids that anything they post can always be found later. There are almost always ways of restoring the data that was supposed to have “disappeared”. Also, point out that even if the photo does disappear, the receiver can always take their own photo of the photo posted before it does go away.

7. Monitor their Devices: You always have the option to install a monitoring program on your children’s devices. Typically, it is best to tell them that you are doing this and why, so they know what to expect. It is vitally important that your child trusts you and understands that you are working together so that if there is an issue, they will come to you for help.

8. Keep an Eye on Everyday Devices: Lastly, understand that everyday devices you use at home, such as baby monitors, can be compromised. These types of devices have made the news recently for being vulnerable to hackers and other predators. Make sure you use the strictest privacy settings available when using newer technology to help keep your family protected.

By adhering to this internet safety training advice, you’ll be doing more than just educating and empowering yourself to understand technology. You’ll be actively fighting online predators and ensuring that you and your family don’t become cybercrime statistics.