Author: safernetvpn-admin

The Importance of Internet Safety as a Parent, Boundaries, and How SaferNet Helps

Hello, my name is Luke and I am a Dad to a 12-year-old boy. That’s us in the picture above. I wouldn’t change it for the world. However, there are quite a few things I wish I had more control of.

The internet is such a vast environment full of knowledge and answers that are extremely helpful to a developing child, but there are also some horrible avenues that our children could be exposed to. According to a Netmums Poll:

“42.1% of kids admit they have seen online porn. One in 16 have been exposed to hardcore pornography.”

Typically, when you search the internet for answers about internet safety the statistics are outstanding regarding the level of severity. It can be overwhelming and scary to find out what kind of things our kids can be at risk of seeing. As a parent, it’s 1000% my responsibility to keep my kid educated about the potential dangers of the web such as:

Predators – Older adults preying on children using fake accounts to talk to kids his age. This could be on social media, or even multi-player online games like World of Warcraft or Fortnite. 

Viruses – These days, the most common way to get a virus is through hacked accounts on social media or games that send a link that contain a virus that can fry your phone/tablet/computer or steal all of your valuable information. Unfortunately, these links can get through spam filters a lot easier than you’d think.

Explicit Content – The stuff my kid knows he’s not supposed to see. This can vary all the way from videos with bad language to pornography. 

It is also my sole responsibility to keep him safe from all of these potential dangers. He’s definitely at the age where he doesn’t appreciate me monitoring his internet usage, and can get an attitude if I command him to not do something. Then sometimes do it behind my back anyways! This is when I knew I had to set some boundaries that he couldn’t get around. I had to let him know I was serious about his safety and ultimately that I care for him enough to do something about it.

Investing in SaferNet helped bridge the gap of the unknown internet terrors and is helping keep my child safe. Not only are the privacy standards outstanding, but one of SaferNet’s main features allows me to set unlimited controls to manage his time on the internet. I can make this work throughout my whole Wi-Fi network or by individual profile/device. When it’s time to get off the computer and go to bed, he can’t just get on his phone and surf the internet anymore.

Another fantastic feature is that I can adjust content filters completely dependent on what is appropriate for his age, and it’s constantly being updated. An extra safety bonus is that even if I have the age filter level set to “Adult” on any device, SaferNet can block adult websites, access to the “dark-web”, and all illegal trafficking sites.

SaferNet actually protects my family and ultimately makes me feel like a better parent. Now my child is more respectful of my decisions and has a better understanding of why it’s so important to keep him safe.

The Importance of Grandparents & Grandchildren Interacting With Each Other On The Internet, and How SaferNet Can Keep Them Safe

Grandparents have a bigger impact on the development of grandchildren than you might think. According to statistics, more than 50% of grandparents see their grandchildren in person at least once a week, and over 7 million grandparents live with their grandchildren.

There is a level of wisdom and experience that grandparents have that builds a special bond with their grandchildren. It makes sense considering that they put their past parenting experience to use in their interactions with grandchildren.

An American Grandparents Association (AGA) survey indicated 63% of grandparents “say they can do a better job caring for grandchildren than they did with their own.”

That also builds a sense of respect and true listening for the child, 78% of grandparents say they have discussed values with their grandchildren.

Contrary to the myth of seniors who are confused in front of anything that’s electric and has buttons and isn’t a remote control, American grandparents have generally converted to using the tools and benefits of the digital age. More than 75% of grandparents use the internet and nearly half use social media regularly.

Older and younger generations interacting with each other on the internet show plenty of benefits. Studies show that families develop important digital citizenship skills and form stronger bonds when exploring the internet and learning about technology together.

“About 11% of parents worry that their offspring deliberately seek out unsuitable material or spend too much time online while in the care of their grandparents.”

While many grandparents are concerned about their grandchildren’s access to various content containing; foul language, visually explicit websites, and ways of communicating with total strangers via online gaming (multi-player games such as World of Warcraft) or social media, surveys show that grandchildren are often far more advanced in technology use than their grandparents, who feel anxious about what boundaries they should set and how to do it. According to statistics, almost 3 in 10 parents (29%) let their kids use the internet without any restrictions or supervision, and on average about 16.7% of parents allow children three years old or younger to go online. Less than 31% of grandparents, have discussed digital rules with parents, even though 44% of families claim to have rules. (Source)

It is extremely important to build confidence and inform parents and grandparents of the ways to help children get the most out of technology while understanding the hazards, and also setting limitations. Those who manage to get to grips with their grandchildren’s internet usage find that they are valuable teachers and have more overall respect for their elders.

Now, there can be complications regarding trying to set boundaries with your grandchildren, such as them trying to outwit your limitations and can ultimately ruin the bond and trust between each other. BUT, there is an easier way around that. SaferNet is the leading parental control app and the best in class virus and malware protection service on the web.

SaferNet is not only user-friendly; making it an easy solution for older adults, but is the most effective content filtering system on the market.

In summary, we have 84 content categories that allow the SaferNet user to specifically target what is allowed or disallowed on a specific device or profile or on your entire WiFi network. To make it easy we have also established age appropriate category settings that are easily adjustable. You can also “blacklist” any website that your grandchild goes to at any time. Our preset age filters are only a guide. We give grandparents the ability to allow/disallow access to any website with just the click of a button whether you’re on a mobile device or computer.

SaferNet gives grandparents a sense of relief knowing that their grandchild won’t be accidentally exposed to pornography, gambling, alcohol, drugs or any unwanted redirection. The control is now in your hands.