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Keep kids cyber-safe and monitor online activities
By JENNIFER COLTON
If you have a child old enough
to see, they’ve probably connected
with the Internet. Whether it’s
watching YouTube videos or posing
for Facebook photos, children are
growing up with the Internet
all around them. Keeping
children safe online and
making them responsible
ci zens of the digital world
is now a part of the parent’s
handbook.
How you monitor your
children may depend on
what age they are, but at all
ages, children need to know
you are aware and interested
in what they do online.
Protec on so ware
One way to control what
your children see online
is to purchase parental
so ware, or programs that
set up fi lters for what your
child can and cannot access,
such as adult content,
gambling, pornography and
illegal drugs. Net Nanny, a
subscrip on-based service,
is the highest rated parental control
so ware, primarily based on its
fi ltering and blocking and ease of
use scores. Other programs include
Norton Family, McAfee’s Safe Eyes,
Circle with Disney and Mobicip.
Many programs also include built-
in me limit se ngs – a plus if
you have a child prone to sneaking
extra screen me. Cost: Variable.
Net Nanny starts around $40 per
computer and $20 per phone.
Site-specifi c monitoring
If your child is only interested
in a few sites, you can change
the se ngs and monitor each
applica on individually. Facebook
and Twi er, for example, allow
privacy controls that limit your
child’s interac on with others as
well as who can see his or her
informa on. There’s a fi ne line
between monitoring and invading
privacy, but your child should give
through once a week and make
sure your child hasn’t wandered
into any of the more ques onable
sectors of the online world. Make
sure your children know that you
will be doing this – but don’t tell
you access to his or her accounts
on all online forums and websites.
If your child has his or her own
Facebook account, for example,
they can par cipate in private
Facebook messages. Cost: Time.
Check the history
If your child browses the
Internet, set aside me to
periodically check where they’ve
been stopping along the way.
Checking the history of the web
browser on a PC or tablet will
give you an idea of the kinds of
site your child is visi ng. This also
works for YouTube, where you
can scroll through a list of what
they have been watching. Skim
them exactly when. This opens
communica on and, as in the case
of security cameras, may help deter
some curious clicking. Cost: Time.
Watch the loca on – and the me
If a computer is set up in a com-
mon room of the house, children
are less likely to violate any house
rules with what they’re doing
online. A child with a computer or
tablet in his or her bedroom may be
more willing to head to sites they
know they shouldn’t when a watch-
ful eye is not nearby. The same
goes for the mes your children are
going online. While they may not
be breaking the rules at 4 o’clock in
the a ernoon with a whole fam-
ily around, what are they doing at
night while you’re asleep?
Set clear rules
The one form of parental
monitoring that might not fi rst
come to mind should be one of
the fi rst steps – communica on.
Make sure you discuss with your
child what they can and cannot
do online. If they’re se ng up a
profi le, make sure they know what
informa on can be shared and
what can’t. It’s the same discussion
you have for se ng any family
rules. While being online is a li le
more general than where a child
can go on the way to/from school,
it’s s ll an important piece to make
sure everyone understands where
the lines are. This can also include
“making friends” online. Make sure
you know who your children are
talking to. Cost: Communica on.
Keep communica on lines open
Just because you’ve set rules
doesn’t mean your children will
always follow them. Check in with
your kids about what they’re doing
online and who they’re talking to –
just like you do with their friends at
school and ac vi es. Children have
wider access through the Internet
than ever before, and parents
need to keep communica on
lines open. This goes both ways
– good and bad. If children have
posi ve experiences, try to share
their enthusiasm, even if you’ve
never played the game or spent
much me on their site/app of
choice. And, if your child has a bad
experience, make sure they know
they can come to you, no ma er
what it is. Cost: Communica on.
________
Jennifer Colton is news director of
KOHU and KQFM, and mother of
three, based in Pendleton.