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As a parent, I am concerned about what the boys can see on the internet. With E in the 2nd grade, he needs to conduct more-and-more on-line research for school projects. Making sure I know what he’s looking at, and what he can access on the net, is super important.
The ESET Smart Security 6 program has great parental controls. And, that gives me great peace-of-mind, when E is surfing on the internet. Here are some top tips–that can help make sure that your children remain safe while on the web, from ESET
- Educate your children
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ldren and young people spend huge amounts of time online and may not be aware of the dangers. We know about the usual worries–such as malware and scams–but they are also at risk from predators online. It makes sense that you spend some time with them to outline the risks and how to avoid them. You should set ground rules about how long they spend online, allowable mobile phone usage and encourage them to speak about any online experience that may upset them such as bullying or any unwelcome contact made online. Always sit and supervise younger children when they are online. - Educate yourself
It makes more sense to tell the kids how to behave if you know what you are talking about! So spend some time on chat rooms, teen-friendly web sites, Facebook, Twitter and other online destinations to see how it all works. Many countries now have government sponsored websites that offer advice for keeping your children safer online. ESET Provides Cyber Security Education training as part of their product, that teaches you and your entire family how to defend against cyber threats, scams and hackers. - Set parental controls on browsers, PCs and phones
Windows PCs and Macs have parental controls built into the operating system – you can find them in the Settings or Control Panel. Both allow you to limit what your kids do on their own or the family computer by applying controls to their own user accounts. Don’t forget to password protect your own accounts and set controls to the browser that your kids use and prevent them from downloading alternative browsers using parental controls. - Consider using additional software to provide enhanced parental controls like blocking entire categories of website.
For example, you will find such controls in ESET Smart Security for Windows. Tablet devices such as iPads can be similarly configured with parental controls, as can iPhones and most other leading smartphones. The latest Windows Phones (8) have a “kids corner” setting which allows them to use your own phone without them accessing your data and apps. - Set parental controls on the home network
The first point of access to the internet is your router supplied by your ISP. Contact your ISP to find out how you can control the Internet at point of access. In the router settings you can block individual websites – this can be long winded but is a surefire way of blocking access to particular websites. Router settings can also prevent non-family members from logging on to your Wi-Fi network – useful for when friends come round.Your ISP should have provided the IP address for your router. From here you can gain web access to its firewall settings. Set yourself up as an administrator and keep the password to yourself. On top of this it’s essential that antivirus software is installed on every family computer to protect against the various forms of malware infection that con occur when kids are using the computer, such as clicking on tempting but bogus offers or even visiting a legitimate website that is infected. (As mentioned earlier, some antivirus programs also come with parental controls included.)
ESET also has this great YouTube video:
Don’t forget to check out the ESET Facebook page or follow them on Twitter–for more information and resources. As a reader of DaddyNewbie, you’ll receive a 15% discount on ESET Smart Security–just click on the banner below (promo code=”PTPA”).
[Disclaimer: I received one (1) download-copy of ESET Smart Security for free, as well as monetary compensation for installing this program and promoting it on my blog. I have personally reviewed this product, and believe it’s of benefit to my readers. Please take a look at my full Disclosure.]
