When I was a young girl I might have had to worry about name calling and playground bullying. Thirty years later my daughter may have to deal with the bigger and more invasive threat of cyber bullying. If I am honest, as a parent, there are not many things which scare me more. The stories are chilling and bullying is taken to a whole new level when people can hide behind the anonymity of their computer screens and fictitious usernames.
It seems an almost daily occurrence that children feel forced to take drastic actions due to bullying they are being subjected to online. There is no doubt that the internet is one of the most amazing inventions in recent years, but for me, as a mum, it has added an additional dark and very real fear to parenting.
A recent Intel Security study reveals that 20% of adults believe their child has spoken to a stranger online (1 in 10 children admitting they would agree to meet a stranger). While just over one in ten children have been a victim of cyber bullying on social media; quite staggering statistics.
Although Baby is only two, I know it won’t be that long before she is using the internet so I know we need to be prepared. While we can’t protect her from everything, there are some steps that we can take. There are so many systems out there to help us protect our children online; such as Intel’s Live Safe security software which, when combined with practical tips, should give you more peace of mind.
What can you do to keep your child safe online
- Install anti-virus software and parental controls. It doesn’t have to cost a lot; I use the free AVG software.
- Don’t allow children to take computers to their bedrooms.
- Teach your child never to share personal details online.
- Use a browser specifically designed for kids, such as Kid Browser 1.1.
- All children’s passwords should be shared with a parent.
- Children should be told to treat people online as you would in real life.
- Teach them to ignore messages/chats/emails from people they don’t know.
- Teach children not to enter live chat with anyone they haven’t physically met.
- Improve your skills so you can be as confident as possible about protecting your child from online threats.
Disclosure: Collaborative post.
Comments 3
Ooh as computer savvy as I may think I am, I admit to not knowing there were child specific browsers. Thank you!
If I were to name a scary drive I’d call it Bitezilla
Author
Yes I didn’t know until I researched! x
Magneto the Muncher