4 Tips for Keeping Kids Safe Online During Back-To-School Season

In today’s world, there’s almost no way to avoid social media and general online behavior. Most people, including many children below the age of 18, are going to utilize the internet to some extent. That’s why you need to learn more about keeping kids safe online, especially as they use it to interact with their friends during the back-to-school season.

Here are a few tips you can use to keep your kids safe more easily.

1. Talk Openly With Your Kids

Open communication is one of the most important things you can have if you’re trying to keep your kids safe, no matter where you’re trying to keep them safe. Whether you’re hoping to help them in relationships, in general life choices, or in their online lives, talking openly can help them feel like they can really confide in you if something goes wrong. Put effort into maintaining open communication from a young age to reap the benefits later.

2. Make Sure Your Kids Know About Staying Safe Online

Your kids won’t be able to keep themselves safe online if they don’t know how. It’s important that you teach your kids how to stay safe, because they don’t go onto the internet knowing exactly how to keep themselves safe. Open communication can absolutely help with this, but you can also model safe online behaviors yourself and tell your kids how to stay safe in the real world, as many of those pieces of information can transfer into online safety as well.

3. Ensure That Your Children Have Age-Appropriate Internet Access

Different ages may have different internet access capabilities. After all, that’s why most social media sites require that you be at least 13 to sign up. While children under 13 may use the internet for some things, it’s typically better that you monitor these children more closely and not allow them to use the internet to communicate with other people. If that’s something they’re interested in, you can talk to them to find out why.

4. Be Safe When Your Children Want to Meet Someone They Met Online

Especially as children get older, they’re likely going to meet real friends online. These can be real people, often your children’s age, that can have a great impact on your children’s lives, but it’s also important that you choose your meetups carefully. Before you decide to meet up with someone your child met online, it’s a good idea to do some looking around at who they are, as well as to choose the safest way to meet up.

Conclusion

Back-to-school season is a common time when children start using the internet more. Especially today, when many children are distance learning, it’s likely that your child will start using the internet even more. While the internet can be helpful, it can also be harmful. With these four tips, you can help your child stay a little safer online, making it even more helpful for them in their personal lives.