The internet is the oracle for most adults to find the nearest restaurants, read guides, access content, use social media and engage in communities. Children will also begin to need access to the internet, and they’ll need to do so safely. Follow these tips from a prep school in Leatherhead to keep your child safe online.
Teach Your Child To Protect Their Personal Information:
If your child’s going to be chatting to people online then personal information is likely to be shared if they’re not careful. Unless it’s someone they know, like a relative or friend from school, and can verify that it is them, then show your child that they should proceed with caution. Provide them with quick answers they can use when they are asked these details, and encourage them to talk to you about any issues they’re having online.
A lot of online communities are safe for children and can boast lots of collaborative projects, support, and guidance for children looking to find others who love the same interests and hobbies as they do. However, it should come with caution and a warning to make sure children are safe with who they interact with online.
If Downloading Things, Make Sure Your Child Knows If It Is Safe:
From important school resources, studying material, and mock exam papers, to forms and PDFs for personal use – your child should be aware of the risks they take when they look to download files from places they’re not sure of. If they feel comfortable asking you about what to do when they’re unsure of what to look out for, then half the battle is done for you. If they’re on a new website and wouldn’t know how to find out if the file is safe, then offer a hand in showing them how.
Explain to them that a computer should always have a firewall in place to protect users from viruses entering your system. Explain that you have virus protection systems on the PC to add a layer of protection when users look to download anything, but there are other ways children can check the quality of the site.
Show Them The Top Features a Secure Site Should Have:
Ask them to look at the address bar – is the site secure? They’ll be able to find out by reading if it’s an HTTPS link, or if they can see a little padlock next to the address bar. If they’re even more curious, they can look up the age of the domain they’re on to see how old it is – younger domains could set off alarm bells. Finally, if your child’s looking to purchase something, make sure the payment methods are completely secure through the website to ensure your data is encrypted upon use.
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