7 Lessons about Internet Safety for Kids ...

This lesson in internet safety for kids cannot be overstated. It is so important to teach our children to not give out personal information. It is a good idea to explain exactly what you mean by personal information. If your children are very young, they may not have a good grasp on what personal information is. It is also good to explain that keeping that information private keeps them safe.

It is a good idea to teach your children to set their profiles on social media to private. This is actually a good idea for anyone but especially for your children. If your children don’t know how to do this, you can assist them. This is another measure to help keep them safe. It also helps them cut down the risk of cyber bullying.

Children need to understand that anything they put online has the potential of becoming public. I have always told my children to imagine that it could be announced at their school or a social event. While the chances of that happening are unlikely, this helps them to understand there isn’t a lot of true privacy online. Explain that this goes for anything on social media or in private email. Show them how easy it is to save an email conversation so they understand that possibility.

Explain to your kids that their history online can be tracked. Let them know that the computer keeps a record of the websites that they visit. This may deter them from visiting websites that contain content you would not approve of. Also make them aware that you will be checking on their history from time to time. This is another way of providing supervision when they are online.

Sometimes kids don’t understand how deeply they can get into trouble with their online behavior. Let them know that their behavior online can affect them. Explain that they can be in trouble legally if they do things that are wrong, such as bullying someone else online. This is something they may not realize. Hopefully it is something you wouldn’t have to worry about anyways, but it is best to talk about it.

You need to have set rules for your children and their computer usage. Explain them to your child so they understand them clearly. One good rule to have is that you always have their password. Let them know that you will check their accounts when you feel it is necessary. This gives them a heads up of what will occur so they don’t feel their privacy is invaded.

This is not as hard and fast of a rule of some of the others but it is important. Teach your children to think before they post something. Let them know that what they post could get backlash. Remind them that things they put online could hurt the feelings of others. This can help them remember to think about how others may feel before they post something online.

There is a lot to cover when it comes to internet safety for children, but the time you take to do so is well worth it. What are some rules for internet safety that you have at your house?