In the past, we often heard parents warn their children about the dangers they’d meet outside their homes and constantly reminded them to be safe when crossing the street, avoid receiving anything from a stranger, etc. While those worries still exist today, parents are confronted with an additional dilemma of keeping their family both safe and entertained while using the Internet.
The digital world is considered a dangerous place for anyone – be it kids, young adults, and adults. Online security is a challenging task for every family. Technological advancement, while giving numerous benefits, poses a lot of risks and threats to families too.
The following guidelines could help you keep you and your family safe during these times.
1. Monitor your family’s online activities
After subscribing to internetchoice.org for the internet, your family can have access to most sites online. There is nothing wrong with monitoring what your family members, especially the young ones, are doing while using the internet once in awhile. You might want to know what kind of websites they access and what kind of people they are interacting with. Online scams are only too rampant.
2. Communicate with your family
Lack of communication can create unhealthy gaps among families. Let your family members feel that they can approach you anytime. Tell them about the benefits and risks of using the internet. Set clear expectations and boundaries that they can understand. With this, you can be more confident that they can discuss anything that happens to them offline or online.
3. Set house rules
Rules set everything into place. You do not want your house to be chaotic so set rules as early as possible and enforce them strictly. Set the time allowed to use the internet and tell them the sites they are allowed to visit. Moreover, set the location where they may use the internet.
4. Educate your family how to use social media safely
Educating your family about the proper social media practice with regards what and what not to post, and what and what not to share will prevent them from being careless and insensitive. Teach them how to care for their privacy and protect their personal information. Let them know how easy it could be for cybercriminals to steal data from the internet. Set a good example for them to follow.
5. Install software programs as protection
There is a wide array of software programs and tools to keep you safe from malware and phishing. Installing modern security tools can make it a lot easier to regulate and filter Internet activity and ensure a safe online experience.
Conclusion
Parenting becomes a little challenging and difficult in this fast-paced world we live in today. The dangers that might cause harm to your family are not just limited to physical, environmental, and social threats; online threats are becoming too rampant these days, too. As keeping the family safe is imperative, it’s best that all members are equipped with the right knowledge to fight against cyber crime.
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