As technology and digital advancements mean that your child is more likely to experience the internet much quicker than before. While it’s a hugely valuable part of your child’s development, and the internet is a vast place full of knowledge waiting to be explored, it’s also full of areas that children shouldn’t access. As this girls prep school will show you, it’s easy to show your child how to navigate the internet safely.
Why should we explore internet safety?
A lot of children’s media can now be accessed online. From videos from YouTube, playing games online with other people or using tablets to play age-appropriate games, we use online platforms for a lot more than we realise. There’s also a huge rise in streaming services and ways to view children’s TV, film and more.
The internet comes with a big caution label. There are risks online that children can fall for and get caught in if they’re not careful. This is where you come in – showing your child how to safely use the internet will reduce the amount of times your child falls into hot water and you’re more likely to leave them to browse the web happily.
Methods to teaching safe internet browsing
First of all, ask your child what they’ll be doing online. Are they going to use it for studying? More than likely if they’re studying GCSEs. Or do they want to chat to friends online? This is usually innocent if you look at what messaging platforms your child wants to use. Set realistic boundaries for your child first to see how they use the internet when you’re not looking. All internet providers will have a child set up available to protect them from navigating nasty websites or places they shouldn’t enter.
Keep an open level of trust between you and your child as they use the internet. Avoid using any surveillance apps to keep a track of your child’s activity – it spells out that you don’t trust your child when you should be letting them explore the internet for themselves. They’ll be much more likely to speak to you about any problems if you speak to them regularly about internet safety.
Finally, make them aware of what to look out for. Make sure they don’t use any of their personal details online and show them what happens if they share sensitive information. Keep that open line of communication with them so that they feel comfortable asking you for advice if they’re unsure what to do. And show them that the internet is still very fun and exciting, so long as they’re responsible online!
