How to Keep Your Child Safe in the Age of the Internet
There is an entire world to discover on the internet, which is both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, knowledge is now at the tip of your children’s fingertips, allowing them to learn beyond the classroom. But, on the other hand, the internet can be a dangerous place if you let kids browse it unsupervised.
So how do you protect your children’s online identity without being too controlling? First, you must teach them online literacy before they start attending a good school in Coimbatore. Here are a few examples:
- Communicate openly about their online activity.
Is your child starting to access the internet? Ask them what they’re watching, reading, and playing online. Beginning healthy conversations about their online activity will make them more open to sharing with you, allowing you to teach them what’s appropriate.
In addition, consider setting parental controls on the sites your child frequently visits. For instance, YouTube allows you to restrict the videos to kid-friendly content, while Google has a Safe Search filter to hide explicit results.
- Keep devices within your sight.
Be sure to establish rules about using the internet at home when your child goes online. For example, keep the family desktop in a central area of your home, allowing you to keep an eye on their activity.
Moreover, you can limit them from using mobile devices and tablets inside their rooms. You don’t have to worry about controlling their activity once they start studying because the best schools in Coimbatore configure their devices with student-friendly settings.
- Implement online time.
Research suggests that children between five and 17 years old should have a maximum screen time of two hours a day. This prevents them from developing addictive habits and allows them to focus on their studies.
You can switch off the Wi-Fi every night to prevent them from browsing before bed or encourage them to play outside during weekends. The best schools in Coimbatore also restrict students from being on the internet all day.
Don’t forget to enrol your child in a good school in Coimbatore so they can focus on honing their skills instead of spending too much time online.