1. Make sure to always have access to your
child’s computer.
It
doesn’t mean that you need to verify every day what happens on the computer.
But once in a few weeks, you can take a look on what websites have been
accessed or what kind of content has been downloaded on the system.
2. Teach your children about online dangers.
Learning is not a destination, it is a process. In
a changing environment we need to establish fast the limits of our
liberty to access unfiltered content and the potential dangerous phishing
attempts that could pose a threat to our families.
3. Let them teach you. Or simply listen to them.
Staying online is a risky business and we cannot really predict where a discussion
or comment will take us or what type of people we may encounter on
a social media platform.
4. Online actions have real consequences.
It
is difficult to understand for a child that Internet is a dangerous location.
How could anyone explain a child what a sexual offender is, when they didn’t
even start their sexual education?
5. Install a good antivirus product on the
computer.
Are
your children using a separate computer from you? Are you using the same
computer? It doesn’t really matter. Security is security and each computer should be protected from
online threats and malicious software.
6. Use parental control software to monitor
your child’s online behavior.
Software
companies have already considered the possible issues that could appear from
kids’ unrestricted access to online content. For this reason, we find many
parental control solutions that address and try to limit this problem.
7. Keep your child’s software up-to-date.
Make
sure the Windows operating system used by your child has all the
latest security patches installed. These updates are important because they contain stability and
security fixes that shield the system against cyber-criminals attempts.
8. Don’t let them go online without
anti-spyware protection.
Spyware
is a software program that monitors your private Internet connections. But, as
everybody knows there are manysigns of alarm that could indicate such an infection
on the system.
9. Secure your Home Wireless network.
The
home Wi-Fi network is usually accessed only by members of the same household,
but that doesn’t mean that dangers don’t exist and additional steps should not
be followed to increase the home network security level.
10. Pay attention to WiFi networks outside
your home.
Your
children may be safe at home, but with so many Wi-Fi public networks
they connect to, how can we be sure they will remain safe?