PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN ON THE INTERNET

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Raising kids in a techno world can be exciting, fun and at the same time dangerous. We need to come to terms and accept that the time now is different than it used to be when we were kids. Parents today, are often found telling their kids “When I was your age…”. But do we really want to impose our past stories on our kids and demean their future stories?

Kids today are born in the digital world. We exist in a world where things are getting digitized at a lightning speed and it is very natural for kids to be inclined towards technology. We are living in an era of world wide web; it is certain that the kids will be exposed to not only the good things but also some bad ones while browsing through Google or YouTube or Facebook.

Can we stop our kids from using the internet? Is it possible? Is it fair?

Technology is a tool and it must be learnt and used in the right way. We are living in a generation where technology is an integral part of our child’s development.

We need to help our kids use technology wisely, just like our parents taught us to drive a car.

As parents we need to minimize the risk of our kids getting exposed to the explicit content on the internet. Parenting in this digital age is not just limited to making kids aware about the proper use of internet but also to make sure we are able to guide them in the right direction without being ‘too interfering’ in their routine.

So, while our kids are ‘growing up digital’, the question that arises is, how to shield our offspring from the ill-effects of digitization?

As we had discussed earlier, not all of us are ‘e-literate’. Hence, it may not be our cup of tea to be able to brew up a digital mesh or net of sorts to protect our children.

So, for those who cannot DIY, to be able to walk the talk, here is a list of some resources and tools that could be useful:

PARENTAL CONTROL APPS:

If your kids have their own smartphones or iPads, it may be mandatory to track or even control their activities. Most of the good parental apps offer ways to limit time spent on devices, track usage and location and block certain apps or games. But before we delve into the options, let me tell you that nowadays there are some free parental controls built into most devices. Example: Google’s Family Link, Amazon’s parental controls. And Apple too offers some parental controls.

Now, let’s take a look at the top parental control apps:

FOR KIDS ABOVE 10 YEARS:

FAMILYTIME (Android and iOS)

ESET PARENTAL CONTROL (Android)

QUSTUDIO (Android, iOS, Kindle, Nook)

WEBWATCHER (Android, iOS)

These apps do everything from allowing you to customize the content the kids have access to, set time limits, track location and more. Some of them also have tools to set homework and bedtimes or just limit total time spent on their devices. These also have geofencing which means the parents get alerts when the phone enters or leaves specific are. They can also help you block or control on an app-by-app basis, apply internet filters, Monitor calls and texts and keep an eye on contact lists.

FOR KIDS BELOW 10 YEARS:

KIDOZ (Android)

NET NANNY (Android, iOS)

These are apt for kids under the age of 10, they work as an additional browser that will show up the main attractions that kids are interested in like games, videos etc. It works as a specialized browser that serves up exactly those items, all within a safe, colourful and kid-friendly interface.