Children surfing the Internet need supervision and time limits. With these tips you will ensure that your child is not harmed while surfing the Internet.
There are a number of options so that your child can find their way around the Internet and do not unexpectedly find unsuitable offers – from technical precautions to setting up children’s start pages to placing the computer in a place in the apartment where you can use it easy to see. The most important tips:
Personal support: It is best not to let your child use the Internet alone, but practice together to find their way around the virtual world. Before your child is alone on the Internet, you should be able to make sure that they are talking to you if they happen to land on pages that disturb, scare or unsettle them.
Establish rules:Agree, for example, that no personal data or videos will be posted on the Internet and that certain services (e.g. downloads or competitions) will not be used independently. You can also set surfing times in an “Internet or media usage contract”.
Implement technical protective measures:With protection software or device settings, you can filter and regulate access to the Internet and offer your children protection on the Internet. The best thing to do is to set up your own user account. Selected and child-friendly websites can be saved as bookmarks or favorites, a favorite search engine, for example, as the start page.
Educate your child about risks on the Internet: Educate your child about dangers on the Internet, about problematic offers and content, a conscious, critical approach to advertising, data protection and copyrights.
Maintaining an overview: In addition to PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones and mobile phones, various game consoles and music players now also enable access to the Internet. Pay attention to which media devices your child is using and check whether an Internet connection is possible and necessary.
Video game obsession: Every child likes to play video games and sometimes it happens that kids get obsessed with one game more than others and sometimes that obsession can turn harmful. As parents, it is your job to make sure that does not happen and also the games being played are age-appropriate and do not result in kids playing with adults.
Bullying goes both ways:While all of us as parents have an instinct to protect our children from bullies, be it in real life bullies or cyber bullies and create a safe playing environment for them. What we often over look is that what if our child is the bully. Make sure to teach your kids internet etiquettes and remind them not to bully anyone even on the internet.
Keep financial under lock and key:Keep your credit cards and banking info away from children. Today too many video games etc offer frivolous purchases which have no real life value and kids are especially prone to such purchases. Make sure your kid doesn’t end up buying fantasy gold, hut coins or some fancy video game skin without your consent.
Limit usage: Computers and the Internet have become so versatile and commonplace that you should also keep an eye on how long they are used. There are no clear recommendations on the “healthy” duration of use. However, experts agree that the use of all screen media should be avoided by children under 3 years of age. For preschool children between 3 and 6 years of age, daily use should not exceed 30 minutes, for elementary school children 45 to 60 minutes. Offering alternatives: Children often find it easier to leave the fascinating and infinite world of computers and the Internet when they are offered alternatives. Perhaps you create incentives by first choosing a recipe together and cooking it together, looking for handicraft instructions online, and then getting creative together or watching a card trick on the Internet and becoming a “card trickster” with your child. Classic board and parlor games are also fun – not to mention joint activities in the fresh a
