Happy National Cyber Security Awareness Month! SaferNet is sharing our best parental control tips with you to ensure the safety of your children. Consider this:
- 67% of teenagers say they know how to hide what they do online from parents (Source: Pew Research Center).
- 10% have unlocked parental controls to disable filtering (Source: Pew Research Center).
Children are getting smarter. Stay one step ahead by using SaferNet security software and exercising these parental controls Block/Filter Content: Block adult websites using SaferNet’s “Remove Adult Content” feature. The search results will automatically filter out any inappropriate content be it pornography or graphic violence. SaferNet helps you outsmart your tech-savvy kids bent on disabling all filters.
- Filtering Across All Devices- Whether your kid uses a desktop, laptop, iPad, or a mobile device, parental controls are automatically applied to all.
- Filtering Across All Browsers- There are plenty of browsers like Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Mozilla, Firefox, Safari, Opera, etc. Children can install a new one to override parental controls. But with SaferNet, no such luck. Kids can’t change settings without the parental control password.
- Filtering Across All Search Engines- Whether your kid uses Yahoo, Google, Bing, or Duck Duck Go, your children get filtered results. Child Safe Internet is now possible!
Monitor Online Activity: Know what your kids are doing online, how much time they spent, and how much data they have downloaded. Be aware of the apps and websites they have visited (past and present). Even if children delete their browser history, you are always aware of what websites your kids are visiting. Control Web Usage: Also restrict the amount of time kids can spend online. Use parental controls – “Family Time”, “Bed Time” and “Time Outs” to ensure that kids do not get addicted to internet and children have time for offline activities, time for themselves, and family. 
General Tips for Parents:
Parental controls are a must and will work smoothly where regulating the activity of tweens is concerned. But as they step into adolescence, there will be a natural curiosity in them to watch porn. Parental controls won’t go down well with them. In fact, the more you stop them from doing something, the more they’ll feel attracted to it. Adolescence and rebellion! We’ve all been there. But the world wide web, as it exists now, didn’t exist then. So, it’s a must that you educate your child and make them a responsible digital citizen so they won’t need as much parental control as they grow up. Here are a few practices that will help you achieve this:
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- Talk About Sex: Parents dread this. But it’s better they come to know about this from you rather than the web.
- Draw a Line Between Right & Wrong: Why blame the internet for all evil? The hyper-sexualized media, especially television, will probably show your kid inappropriate content at a very young age. Do not skirt the issue but take it as an opportunity to show your disgust towards the material and discuss with your kid how those images are degrading and in bad taste. Your child will also develop a strong sense of morality and the ability to differentiate between good and bad.
- Set Cyber Rules: Hammer home the lesson that kids should never talk to strangers online, open spam email, share their personal information such as name, address and phone number. Also tell WHY they should not be doing this so that the child understands the gravity of all this. When they join social media, they should be instructed to keep the privacy settings to
- Make Them Aware of Online Dangers: Your kids should understand the consequences of bullying others or sending nude images of themselves known as “sexting”. Kids are impressionable, seek attention and often succumb to peer pressure. It’s important they understand that sharing inappropriate photos can be misused by online predators or even be circulated by friends. No kid wants to be a laughing stock or an object of ridicule in the school or on web. This threat alone will keep your child willingly away from
Open communication between parents and kids is the best firewall against inappropriate content and harmful websites. Your kids will come across disturbing content sooner or later. They should be prepared for it. Leave no stone unturned to let your kid know that they can always come to you if they come across disturbing content and that you will not scold them. Win their trust, teach them the right defensive strategies, but first safeguard your cyber world from all online dangers with parental controls and a security software! To know more about SaferNet’s wireless network security software and its features, visit our Features page here: https://safernetvpn.com/features/