7 Internet Safety Tips for Children

Living in the digital world has paved an easy way for kids to remain active on the Internet via smartphones & for this year COVID-19 made them remain proactive either for online classes or extra curriculum sessions for learning. As we know everything comes with its own Pros & cons, same goes for the Internet & the online world. Hence, imparting internet safety tips for children is highly recommended.

Looking back to our times we used the Internet at high schools & colleges so were aware of the Pros & Cons etc. Nowadays things are different a 5-year-old also has access to the internet & they are doing much stuff online, be it studies or playing games, etc.

We can’t expect children including Pre-teens to know the dangers that one can face online, it’s a prime responsibility of parents to educate them about it in a better way. Parents and guardians should regularly talk to their kids about internet safety tips.

1. Set a Time Limit

Setting time is always a good idea, be it for playing games or just watching kid-oriented shows/cartoons/movies. Fix it once & make sure your kid surely follows it each time/day. This is for both Toddlers & Pre-teens.

2. Never Let them Browse Alone

Sometimes children want to browse stuff online, make sure you sit with them and guide them. It should look natural from your end as if you are helping them to find out the stuff.  This for Pre-teens.

3. Check Browsing History

Make sure you do it in case you are occupied while your kid was having an online class or just browsing around.

Related Article: 7 Important Tips For Teachers Taking Online Classes

4. Instruct Your Kids Not to Click on Pop-ups/Links

My 4-year girl uses YouTube for listening to rhymes & I have seen pop-ups of ‘Download Now’  – irrelevant stuff( unknown games/apps) pop-ups in between her rhyme videos. Initially, she used to download it without knowing what it is but from the time I intervened, she has made a habit to come & show me if she gets pop up like that.

This goes for Toddlers & Pre-teens as preteens can also fill in personal details etc on unknown links that are not safe.

5. Teach Children Not to Share Personal Details

This one is especially for Teenagers who use social media accounts, instruct them not to share personal details online with anyone, also make sure they don’t go meeting around the people whom they met online.

6. Check What Your Kid Posts Online

Being open with your children and explaining your reasons for posting content/images online. Make sure they don’t post anything inappropriate. Also, they should not indulge in publishing comments which spread hate and are awful. Teach them to ignore any unwanted discussions & debates.

Related Article: This Is Why You Must Enroll Your Kids For Online Classes [5 Reasons]

7. Report – If Your Kid Faces Something Online (God Forbid)

First, make sure your child has that comfort level with you, that if anything goes wrong- they straight away reach to you. It then becomes your prime duty to report that instead of remaining silent & let it go.  Also, If you suspect your kid is being victimized. Seek help!

There are a plethora of tips that you can read around regarding Internet Safety Tips for Children, but all work if you interact with your kids and guide, instruct, and make them aware of it. Making a few quick rules etc for using the internet also makes an impact for better reasons.

Don’t miss to share with us what you are doing to keep your kids safe – We are Listening.

Let’s build a safe world for children by teaching them how to explore things online for learning & growing.