Almost every household and school environment has ready access to the internet. The internet is a wonderful tool, great for research and connecting us with friends and loved ones across the globe. But it is also important to make sure your children are using it safely, and aren’t seeing anything they shouldn’t. 

That’s why we’ve put together some tips on exploring internet safety with your child, created with guidance from a CEA boarding school. 

Educate Yourself On Online Dangers

You probably have a pretty decent idea on the kinds of dangers there are on the internet. But it is always worth looking up just what those dangers pose to your child. There are lots of websites that can help with everything from cyberbullying to setting up parental and privacy controls. So make sure you research what is out there.

Talk About Their Internet Habits 

The extent to which you talk about internet safety with your kid will largely depend on their age. But it is always worth having an open discussion about what they’re using the internet for. As well as stressing to them that they should never accept friend requests from strangers. Talk to them about what sort of information they are sharing about themselves and where they are sharing it, keeping aware of what social media apps are out there and what ones they are using. 

Set Rules 

Be this limiting the amount of time they have on the internet, or more the rules you put in through parental and privacy controls, you can keep an eye on your child’s internet habits. You can tell them some sites are off limits, as long as you give a good explanation as to why and don’t tempt them into looking up something ‘forbidden’ simply because you have been vague in your reasoning. 

Be Approachable 

Make sure your child feels like that they can come to if they ever come across anything they’re unsure about when using the internet. That way, if they do ever have trouble with a site or people online, they know they can come to you with it, trusting that you will know what to do and that they don’t have to keep the problem to themselves.