The tools every parent must know to keep your kids safe on the Internet

One of the parents from my daughter’s class, Chris Roberts, created this checklist for ensuring our younger “web surfers” remain safe. I think it’s a great list, so, with his permission, I am sharing it here for safe explorations.

For the younger children – 12 and under:

1. Create separate user accounts for each child on the home computer.

2. Enable strict content filtering on the computer.

3. Install anti-virus, malware software, etc.

4. Establish a select list of sites they’re allowed to visit. (We talk about the sites they want to visit, spend time on them together, and then I go through the sites and click through as deep as I can to understand the site content, culture, links, and ads, if they have them.) If I think they’re okay, then they’re added to the list.

5. Enable YouTube Safe Mode on all web browsers (no matter what the age of user). Remember, you have to enable the safe mode per child, per account set up.

Too Much of a Good Thing Does Exist When It Comes To Parenting via the Internet

When it comes to being a mom I love technology! I love having answers to questions and information right at my fingertips.

The baby had colic, I could look up remedies to bring comfort and relief to my little peanut.

I was struggling with breastfeeding, internet to the rescue! Resources galore, communities of moms just like me, and endless support.

How do you break your baby from the paci? How do you start potty training? Is this normal? Is that supposed to happen? All my burning questions had corresponding answers.

Thanks to the internet I was introduced to so many inspiring moms, I can reconnect with friends, and stay connected with family.

It really is a glorious and wonderful thing… until, it isn’t.

50+ Resources for Teaching Kids to Properly and Safely Use the Internet

Technology has become a ubiquitous part of our children’s world. As the founder of Anastasis Academy, a 1:1 iPad school in Centennial, I’ve learned the importance of guiding children in proper use of technology. Internet safety and digital literacy must be taught very intentionally both at school and at home. Much of digital literacy echoes good safety practices in “real” life.

As you guide your children through proper Internet use, be sure to help them recognize the offline safety equivalent. Below are our favorite resources to use with kids from kindergarten through Junior High broken down by safety topic.

Online Identity

Children tend to assume that if something is online, it must be true. This is especially true of people they “meet” online. Students believe that anyone on a social network, blog comments, forum, etc. are who they say they are. It is important to help students understand that not everything and everyone online is what they seem.

Elementary: Faux Paw the Techno Cat: Adventures in the Internet