Are Primary School Aged Children Missing Out on Internet Safety?

Are Primary School Aged Children Missing Out on Internet Safety? Internet safety is often associated with keeping children safe while using the internet. Fantastic. But why is it that many parents have a perception that the focus around internet safety starts when their child turns 11 or 12 years of age?
Is there a perception that children under the age of 10 are not capable of getting themselves into trouble online? Are we aware about unfiltered search engines, unmonitored social networking sites, mixed media sites and the ease of how young ones can stumble upon the most objectionable material you can think of?

What happens when you give a child a device with lots of buttons? They press them to find out what the buttons do, right? Apply the same principle to the internet. Lots of buttons to click, and they do.

Most of us have moved the desktop computer out of the bedroom to a more visible location so we can keep an eye on what our young ones are doing. That is fine, but do parents really have the time to constantly view what their children are doing online? Of course not. That is why there is software to do the job for you.

It has been well documented that children are using the internet at a younger age. Ever since dial-up internet was replaced with broadband, access to the internet has increased immensely. There are now social networking sites that even 5 year olds are participating in, such as Club Penguin and sites designed to give children as young as 2 their first ‘child-friendly’ internet experience such as My Magic Desktop .

Also documented, are instances where parents setup Facebook profiles for minors, to allow them to play some of the online games Facebook host. Sadly, this is not a good idea. Facebook is an adult social networking site which has the potential to expose your child to inappropriate content. There are various games within the site that are also adult themed, and inappropriate for young ones to play.

Anyone using a computer search engine that does not have basic filtering set, will often return pornography in the results when female names are typed, as well as cartoon characters and pets.

Internet sites always have links to other sites, and young children can quickly end up in the wrong place if they are not careful.

What Can You Do?

Parents must install filtering software on home computers as soon as their child is about to start using the internet. There are free products with limited functionality, which are easily installed. For a single machine, install K9 . You will be able to choose the categories of internet sites you want blocked.

If you have multiple children using multiple computers at home, install the free Norton Online Family product. We can also install and set it up for you. It has a lot more functionality, and internet usage can be viewed remotely.

If you want an inexpensive product with all the features, including screenshots of all activity, then use our promo code and get a discount for PC Pandora . It is cheaper than you may think.

Get your young children into great sites designed to teach them about internet safety in a fun way. HectorsWorld is a NZ site set in a underwater world. The cartoon site will teach internet safety through a number of fun activities.

Minimonos is another NZ site set on an island where you take the form of a monkey avatar. Both these sites are well monitored by real people, and safety is paramount.

Filtering / parental software also records all internet activity occurring on a computer. Parents use this information not for spying, but for ensuring that their child understands the internet conversations mum and dad have with them, and are putting it into practice. If your child deviates from this, you are able to talk about it in a positive way, and help them to be good digital citizens.

We feel strongly about combining internet safety discussions with your children, and monitoring software. Whether installing a free product or purchase one with added functionality, it is there for their protection. The value parents’ associate with protecting their kids is immeasurable.