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Internet is much more popular and familiar in the modern days in many countries right now. People in the developing and developed countries know the term “internet” and even many people rely on the internet.
When parents start using the internet, children will also use the internet undoubtedly. Children of all ages are also using the internet these days for many different purposes, start from education and entertainment. Parents know children need access to the internet for learning, but they are worried if their children will access some pages with inappropriate content. The following are some tools to help parents monitor internet use for children and give them some peace of mind.
Technology can be a great tool but it can also be dangerous for children, especially when they still don’t have any idea to any inappropriate contents. When you are worried about your children’s use of the internet, you want to see what websites they have visited and how theyíre using the computer. Here are some free things you can do to monitor your childrenís internet activity:
Check The Bookmarks
Log onto the computer your child uses and onto the internet. Look up the bookmark. Each browser has different ways to access the bookmark. This will bring up a list of all websites visited on this computer. Write down any website addresses which have you concerned so you can discuss them with your child.
Create a list of inappropriate websites which
Make a list of websites which are off-limits because they can have content not appropriate for children. These could include MySpace.com and YouTube.com. There may be others, but this will give you an idea about the types of site which may not be right for your child.
Place the Computer on The Right Place
Put the computer children use in a place that people will be going past them occasionally. Don’t place the computer in their room if you feel they are not ready for being trusted. Just make sure they are reliable in trust. If you are not sure about that, don’t gamble. When you see your child hurrying to cover up or turn off the screen, you may have to suspect that your child is viewing something they shouldn’t access.
Look For Software for The Internet Guard from The Internet Provider
Check with your internet provider to see if there is a program they offer to help protect your children. If they don’t offer a program for free, they may be able to make a recommendation for a free or inexpensive program.
Install KidZui
When we used windows, we used KidZui and it works well. Since we work with Mac we don’t use it. You might check out KidZui. It is a browser you can download for your children to use. The browser will allow you to view the websites your child has visited. It also has other features which will protect children aged 3-12. Just like any other browser, however, your child must open it and it does not run when your children don’t know how to run it. The program can be downloaded for free but it does have its limitations.
Purchase Parental Control Software
There are some parental control softwares you might browse. One of them is NetNanny. It is a program you can purchase for $39.99. It is easy to install and manage. It will block websites, limit the hours children can be online and gives you other options as well. It runs in the background and will warn children if they try to access something that is inappropriate.
Enrich Yourself With The Latest Technology To Monitor Internet Usage
In this modern day with the fast growing technology, we need to be more alerted than our parents were. Do your own research to find other software and possibilities of software programs offering to help you monitor your childís internet usage. You might compare them and find the one that will work best for your family. Prices range from free to $100 or more. There are also some possibilities of the installation number. Some program will only allow to installed in one computer, but with different price it can be installed in more than one computer.
Communicate With Children Frequently
This is a personal approach and it should be the best one. Whatever parental control software that you use to protect your children from the inappropriate content of the internet, it won’t work when they still cannot filter the contents by themselves. This is the hardest part of being parents in the modern age. You should talk with them regularly in the religious and personal approach regarding the religious, moral and ethical conscience to filter the virtual contents.
Limit The Use Frequency
Internet provides a lot of things for people to consume. The addiction to using the internet is a huge problem for many people, including children. It is not only for using the screen too much will result on the eye health decrease, but it will also give effects for the communication ability. You might use internet use as a reward or whatever you strategy to limit the frequency of using the internet.
How do you control the internet use for your children? Have you done that?
These tips are great. We limit computer use to the family room. I have never heard of KidZui. I’ll go and have a look, it sounds like a great idea.
These are good tips! We are big fans of having the computer in an open area where anyone can see what you are doing. It’s good accountability for adults too!