Ways to protect our children online
We all want to keep our child safe in all areas of their life right? Whether that’s teaching them how to swim, wearing sunscreen to the beach or a helmet riding a bike.
The internet should be no different. Often the parents that I meet don’t realise, understand or know how they can help protect their children online. But we all can make a huge difference by using Parental Controls.
The internet is an amazing place for kids. There’s an abundance of educational content packaged in fun and engaging videos, games and other formats.
But the internet can be an unsafe place, too. There’s a lot of harmful and unhealthy content that could have a lifetime impact on our children, especially if there are no safety measures, like Parental Controls in place.
13 parental controls to consider :
Bark monitors a child’s digital activity from beginning to end. The basic plan costs money but allows you to manage screen time, track your child’s location, and filter which sites they can access.
The Premium plan, also monitors text messages, YouTube usage, and other online activity, as well as gives alerts for signs of online predators, bullying, and other risks.
Is great for kids who have their phones with them all the time. My Safety Circle immediately notifies the right people the moment your child feels that they’re in trouble. All they need to do is shake their phone or tap a button and an alert is sent out to contacts you’ve added to the app.
Cyberwise is a powerful online resource that gives parents, educators and carers all the information and tools they’ll need to understand how kids use the internet and their devices. It has learning hubs that focus on specific topics like dating apps, media psychology, Fortnite, TikTok and more. It also comes with a companion site called Cyber Civics, which is geared towards kids and helps them figure out how to navigate the digital world safely.
KidsWifi is a plug-in device that filters ads and adult content by setting up a unique WiFi network that your kids can connect to. It even allows you to set your kids’ bedtime, disconnecting them from the network at the right time every day.
Norton Family provides a safe space for kids by monitoring their online activity. It gives parents access to information like the videos they watch, websites they visit, and other things they do online. It also blocks out all other activity while your kids are doing schoolwork remotely so that they can focus on their work.
Qustodio lets parents protect their kids online through a platform that filters content, tracks online activity, sets limits to online usage, and tracks calls and text messages. It also lets them send an SOS in case they feel they’re in any form of danger.
Family Zone has one main mission – to let kids be kids! The app helps kids lessen screen time and allows them to use their precious time doing things that truly matter.
It manages their screen time, limits online gaming, limits their social media time, and sets their bed and study time. Parents are also given unfiltered access to their online activity.
Family Shield is a platform by OpenDNS that blocks restricted sites and detects phishing and malware. Although not as comprehensive as other tools that protect your kids from potential risks, it’s free and easy to set up.
Boomerang sets shutdown times for your child’s devices to promote healthy sleeping habits. It also allows you to set specific time limits on their usage every day, and even lets you shut off their phone or tablet from your own mobile portal. For Android users, it has an added feature that notifies you each time they attempt to download an app, and allows you to either approve or deny the download request.
Net Nanny serves as your eyes and ears on your child’s device, alerting you every time your child comes across porn and other content related to suicide, drugs, weapons and more. It provides reports on what kind of searches your child does and lets you in one what kind of apps your kids use.
Covenant Eyes is a helpful tool that could help parents prevent their kids from exploring sexual content. It tracks activity on the selected device, then the app shares a report of this to a chosen “ally”.
Parental Controls when used in conjunction with open conversations and the right education, can add an extra layer of protection for your child.
If you’re a huge Google user, you could entrust your kids’ digital usage to Family Link. As a parent, you have the power to approve apps that you’re interested in and block apps that you think they’re not ready for. It also lets you manage their online activity and track their devices no matter where you are.
The Kaspersky Safe Kids platform is an all-around safety net that parents can set up for their kids. It lets you manage your kids’ screen time based on their routines and your own parenting style. It also applies website and app filters to make sure no inappropriate content seeps in.
Its GPS tracking feature is also helpful, mostly because it allows you to set up a “safe area” in the map and sends you a warning if your child leaves that area.
More resources about cyber safety for kids :
Family internet contracts can also be really helpful, I have one on my website along with some other really helpful resources for pre-teens and parents. Click here to access them.
There are also a lot of great books about cyber safety. I have summaries of many of these books on my website. Click here to check them all out or scroll down a little bit further to see a few options for kids and a few books about cyber safety that were written for parents.
Cyber Safety Books For Kids
Cyber Safety Books For Parents
Final words about Parental Controls to keep children safe online.
Although parental control apps do not 100% ensure that your children will be safe, it will help. Make sure the conversation about online safety never stops, so that your child can also be empowered to make wise decisions when they’re online.
Isn’t it great that there are parental controls to help you and your child navigate the online world in a safer way.
You might also like...
my interactive courses about puberty and reproduction:
What’s the Big Deal About Puberty is my interactive online course about puberty.
This puberty course is ideal for both parents/carers to do together with their pre-teens aged 9-12 years. This can also be completed by your child on their own.
Click below to buy the course for only AUD $69.
This interactive course is about our bodies, how babies are made and more. It is ideal for both parents/carers to do together with their pre-teens but can also be completed by a child on their own. There are two separate courses for children aged 7-9 years or 9-12 years.
Click on one of the buttons below to purchase the course for only AUD $49:
