In this increasingly technological world, the internet has allowed users to access a plethora of information with a few strokes of the keyboard.. With so much content available to internet users, it would be naive to believe that everything on the internet is safe to consume. Even critical-thinking adults consistently have to weed out effective content from detrimental content. Thus, parents and those who care for children in any capacity, must be prepared to put security measures in place to ensure the safety of children as they browse the internet. If you are a child care provider looking for practical ways to monitor your child’s internet usage, read on!

First, let’s dive deeper into the “why.” According to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), there are many risks associated with unsupervised internet use for young children. Due to the generally anonymous and unsupervised nature of social media sites, chat rooms and other platforms, children can easily be persuaded to divulge personal information through their engagement with strangers. Additionally, there is always a high probability that children can easily be exposed to hate, violence and even pornography anytime that they log on to social media platforms. Finally, without supervised use of the internet, children are more likely to experience cyberbullying. Overall, cyberbullying can be even more dangerous, due to a user's ability to become virtually untraceable by making themselves anonymous while maintaining the ability to put information on the internet permanently. This makes cyberbullying more difficult to target. All in all, the internet can be a pretty scary place for unsupervised users when you consider its lasting impact. Once information is made available on the internet, it can be very difficult to remove, especially when you consider the amount of users who consume content within seconds of it becoming available online. Information on the internet spreads like wildfire and for unsupervised children, this can be dangerous.

Let’s address the elephant in the room, the internet is here to stay. Therefore, unless children are prohibited from using the internet entirely, there will always be risks. While we don’t have a magic wand to eliminate  dangers on the internet, supervision begins with education and then, putting systems in place to monitor usage. Below are 5 practical ways that adults can mitigate risks associated with internet use for young children.

It is difficult to win a battle when you do not know what you are up against. Begin by educating yourself about safe websites for children, how to set up parental controls, etc. As you browse the internet yourself, you will learn which websites are more likely to have harmful material. You will want to consider these aspects before beginning to supervise your child’s online activity.

2. Educate your child.

You use the internet every day, which is evident by your need to navigate your search engine to find this article! As a parent/guardian, you are consistently teaching your child right from wrong, good from bad. The next step is to teach children how to use the internet productively and safely. Show your child how you use the internet to inform and entertain yourself. Explain how you determine bad content from good content. Teach your child how you keep your personal information private and provide the purpose of taking such measures. After all, you are the best and most meaningful teacher in your child’s life. 

3. Set boundaries.

The internet is like the wild, wild west and children require strict boundaries to protect their wellbeing online. Boundaries are paramount for children, especially as they are still learning the consequences of proper vs. improper use of the internet. You may begin setting boundaries by limiting the amount of time your child spends online. Perhaps you decide to allow your child to access certain websites over others. Setting up parental controls or schedule times that your child can access the internet. You could put boundaries in place to ensure that your child is supervised by an adult while they surf the web.  While setting boundaries, be sure to provide your child with a rationale that highlights the importance of safe internet use.

There are a ton of resources available for parents just like you, who are worried about the dangers of the internet. Here are 10 of the Best Computer Monitoring Programs for Parents. The article gives parents a variety of user-friendly programs that can be installed on your child’s device to help you monitor your child’s online activity.

As internet users, we sometimes agree to terms and conditions unknowingly just by clicking on a website (raise your hand if you are guilty of not reading the terms & conditions on an app or website). Whether using Google Chrome, Facebook, or other websites, before sure to always check the privacy settings. Websites may prompt users to share their location with the website, thus making it possible for internet hackers to gain this information at will. If you are a Windows user, here are 10 Privacy Settings That You Should Check Right Now. Check out this guide from Google Chrome to choose your privacy setting. No matter which operating system, search engine, application, etc. that you allow your child to utilize, be sure that the settings are appropriate and keep their information safe. 

The internet, without a doubt, is full of unknown dangers, especially for children. It is important that parents educate themselves about those dangers and take action to lessen the risks. If you found this article helpful, please leave a comment below. Please share your experiences with the risks of the internet and additional tips and tricks that parents can use to ensure the safety of young internet users!