Online Safety Guidelines for Young Children

[RogersYasmine]

These days, it’s quite normal for young children (often as early as kindergarten), to be familiar with using online technology to play games, chat with friends and family, stream videos, and so on. It is important that we have an open dialogue with our children to explain how they can stay safe while online to ensure an enjoyable, worry-free experience. This will help them build a better understanding of what to look out for online, and develop strong practices and habits from an early age.

The Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst has compiled the following tips for parents and kids to stay safe online:

• Encourage conversations with your child, assuring them they can come to a trusted adult if they have any questions, encounter anything strange or to show something they’ve found online.
• Set up parental controls on all devices and websites – these can include restricted access time and parental notifications and alerts when access to blocked websites are attempted.
• Update the browser settings to block pop-ups and ad banners where possible. And deactivate Auto-Fill options or options to remember or save information.
• Use safe search mode on your internet browser and encourage the use of youth-friendly search engines.
• Bookmark common websites that your kids may use so it’s easy for them to access without having to navigate to too many areas or websites.

Sharing is caring! Feel free to share your experiences, as well as any advice, in the comments section below!