As a parent or guardian, you should already have a strong idea of what is appropriate for your family to see and what is not. Keeping your family safe from the content that they could accidentally see is no easy task, but thanks to the following helpful tips, you can eliminate all cause for concern.
- Using Technology Together
By sitting down with your family and using technology together, you can teach them more about online safety and your expectations for how they will conduct themselves going forward. When you use technology together, you can address important topics as they come up, instead of waiting until they have already taken place when you are not there to assist.
- Set Consequences For Inappropriate Use
Establishing clear rules for how technology is used in your home goes a long way towards protecting your family from inappropriate content that they may see. Expectations must be set as soon as possible, so that there is zero confusion. It is also important to offer guidance when necessary, so be sure to let your family know that you are there for them when it comes time to make tough decisions.
- Password Protect Your Television Set
There is no telling what your family may come across on television, especially if you are the sort of family that has an expansive cable package loaded with hundreds of different channels. If you are concerned about the content that your family could eventually see, it is high time that you added a password that blocks television shows and movies with a certain rating.
- Discuss Online Habits
Sit down and discuss your family’s online habits with them, so that you can get a feel for their favorite sites and services. The more you know about each family member’s online habits, the easier it becomes to protect them from potentially harmful or inappropriate content. What is appropriate for one family member may not be appropriate for another and you will need to find out more about the specific online habits for each one.
- Check Age Restrictions
The majority of online services already have age restrictions in place to keep impressionable viewers from accidentally accessing content that is not appropriate. If you are allowing your child to sign up for an account with an online service, it behooves you to take a moment to research their age restriction policies first. If you have family rules in place already, take a moment to remind your children of these first before you allow them to create a new online account.
Keeping your family protected from inappropriate content is not just a one-time event. As technology continues to evolve, so will your protection tactics. Take time out to check in regularly and make sure that your ground rules are being followed. You can read some more on this on the parenting pages here.