Internet access has become, for various reasons, an essential tool for educating children. Banning the Internet in the classroom would be counterproductive because we would lose the opportunity to take advantage of many educational resources. We share some internet safety tips for children. Classroom Siena, through high-quality training for teachers, aims to prepare teachers by the best experts in the safe use of the Internet in the classroom.
In the case of children, the risks multiply due to the innocence with which they act. From school and from the family, some measures must be taken to avoid some practices and that children learn to use the Internet in a responsible and appropriate way at their age. We propose a series of Internet safety tips that you need to know and put into practice so that your children or your students navigate without problems.
The best Internet safety tips for children
1. Be a Digital and well-informed Parents
In order to teach it is necessary to learn and, in the responsible use of the Internet, education must begin at home. It is important that parents know how social networks work, what types of content their children usually access, how to perform Internet searches, etc. Only through the knowledge of the digital environment can our children be informed of the possible risks.
2. Never provide personal data
When creating a profile on social networks it is important to access the privacy settings so that some personal data that does not interest us, such as the address or mobile phone number, is not automatically published. In addition, the child must be taught that he should not provide personal information to any stranger with whom he speaks. It is one of the best internet safety tips for children.
3. Teach children to ask for help
Many children and young people who have been harassed on the Internet have not told it until much later because of fear, shame or fear of reprisals. It is up to the family and the teachers to teach them to detect the danger signs and create a climate of trust so that they know how to ask for help from the first moment they feel harassed.
4. Learn to differentiate between “friend” and “Internet contact”
It is not the same a friend or a classmate, whom parents know and with whom the child has shared playtime and breaks, then an unknown contact Internet we don’t know physically or know anything about his life. It is essential that children also know how to distinguish what a friend is and what is a simple contact from the social networks they do not know.
5. Use the protection that browsers incorporate
Most browsers have applications to monitor the safe use of the Internet and protect children from adult content. In some cases, it is recommended that you activate the restriction of access according to age or block purchases via mobile. In addition, through the Browser History, we can consult the pages visited in the last days.
You may like- 3 Keys to protecting privacy on the Internet
6. Be aware that they will use the Internet alone
Adults should be aware that children have an innate ability to use new technologies, so we should avoid using the Internet or social networks alone. Children tend to skip the restrictions imposed by the elderly and know how to remove the trace of the websites they visited, so the best solution will always be to educate them on the safe and responsible use of the Internet. It is the most important internet safety tips for children
7. Create separate access on the computer
It is very common in families that all members access the computer with the same password but, if we set a password for each profile, we can determine security controls and keep track of what our children do. In the centers, each computer usually has its own access and there are programs that allow teachers to monitor in real-time the activity of each student.
You may be interested- How to know if your passwords have been filtered on the Internet
8. Limiting time in front of the screen
Limiting precisely the time a child spends in school and at home in front of the computer is essential for him to interact with other children his age and to acquire social skills. If we establish schedules, we will be preventing future problems related to the so-called new addictions (pornography, video games, gambling, compulsive shopping, etc.).
9. Learn at school the safe use of the Internet
New technologies are increasingly integrated into the educational system so that children and young people acquire digital skills. A good way for families to know what each school does about the safe use of the Internet for children, as well as in favor of creating safe and trustful relationships, is to organize an open day. In this link, you can download for free a guide on how to organize an open day.
