Tips To Help Protect Children from Internet Dangers

The internet is a great source of information for both adults and children. Children can use it when carrying out research and when they are doing their homework. They can also use it to advance their personal interests. However, this is not always the case. More often than not, it exposes them to certain dangers. All parents should know the dangers that the internet exposes their children to. Computers are a new technology that we cannot do without but one that should be handled with care.

Here a few tips to help protect children from internet dangers:

No underage child should be allowed to surf the internet unsupervised. Browsing the web unsupervised is more serious for a child than leaving them to go to the dark on their own. These are acts of irresponsibility that no parent should be accused of committing.
The following are some of the reasons why you need to give your child maximum supervision whenever they get connected to the internet. The first and most serious danger that children are exposed to is that of sexual predators. These are human beings who go on the internet to exploit young children sexually. They do this through the services that are available online. Word has it that at least 1 in every 5 children who go to the internet receive sexual solicitation that is unwanted. Cyberbullying is yet another danger that you should protect your child from. This is where a child is embarrassed, tormented, humiliated, threatened or harassed by another through the use of mobile phones or the internet. These problems in most cases result to teen suicide and murder.

As a responsible parent, it is your duty to supervise what your child does when they go to social networking sites. These sites are becoming increasingly popular with people of all age groups but it is not always that they are used in the right manner. Parents should know that it is not always that their children go to these sites to chat with their friends. There is a danger that comes with charting and socializing in these social networking sites. There are people who post words, pictures and videos that are hurting.
It is the responsibility of parents and guardians to talk to their child about sex and its victimization and about other internet dangers. They should not be left to learn these things on their own or from strangers on the internet. The truth is that when this happens, they will definitely not get it right. It is good to spend time online with your young children. Let them know the dos and don’ts. Tell them with authority of all the no go zones. The computer should be kept in a common room. Avoid keeping it in your child’s bedroom because you will give them an opportunity to cross boundaries.

Discourage your children from visiting sites that are most visited by sexual predators. In most cases they use instant messaging, forums and chat rooms. To reduce the effect of internet dangers you as a parent should get educated and involved in all that your child does especially when they are surfing the internet. Let them learn as much as possible about the internet from you because this is your responsibility.