Safety is a top focus for your children in school, now more than ever. With all the focus on face masks, PPE, and hand sanitizer, it’s easy to let technological safety slide by the wayside. With school returning as online learning-only, parental control is the best way to keep your children safe online. Just because they’re sitting at home doesn’t mean they’re not subjected to troublesome digital content. Here are the top parental control options that will help keep your little ones out of online trouble.
1. Update Antivirus and Malware Software
Computer viruses may not be featured on the nightly news very often, but they’re still a very real threat. Viruses and other forms of malware are programs installed by a third party intended to harm your computer. Children are especially susceptible to running across these; websites for children are frequently targeted because kids don’t have malware protection on the brain as much as adults do. To prevent nightly homework research from becoming a risky activity, check to make sure your antivirus and malware prevention software are all up to date.
2. Cover Webcams Unless in Use
We’ve all heard horror stories of criminals spying on us through our webcams. Unfortunately, those stories are more than cautionary tales – it happens more often than you think! Imagining someone spying on children should make your skin crawl, so cover the webcam with an opaque adhesive paper like a sticky note when it’s not actively in use. You can make this fun by allowing your little ones to pick a design and print it out on colored paper with your home printer! Then cut it out and use a relatively thin tape that’s not too sticky to paste to your webcam.
3. Control Browsing with Parental Controlled Routers
An increasingly popular way of keeping children safe while they complete online learning courses is installing a parental controlled router. These devices filter content you don’t want them seeing on the internet. The easiest way to install a parental controlled router is to purchase one with the software already included in the device. You’re also able to download software that runs on your current router, but that process can be complicated. It may be best to hire a professional computer or printer expert to help set up a router to properly filter content.
4. Use Tools Like Safe Search to Limit Results
Google’s ‘Safe Search’ is a built-in way to limit what results appear in search queries. During online learning, this can be invaluable in keeping kids safe from unsavory content. Google’s Safe Search can be activated in your Google account settings. There are apps for mobile devices, such as the Kapspersky Safe Kids (KSK), that allow you to monitor their digital activity remotely from your own device. KSK, or multiple other safe browsing alternative apps, can be downloaded from the iOS or Android store.
Our goal here at Vegas Ink & Toner is to help you keep your children safe during their online learning adventures. We’re more than a print supply company – we also provide custom printed materials. This extends from face masks to allow more safe social activity with their friends to printed guidebooks on how to use different software. We’re here for all your needs, so don’t hesitate to give us a call at 702-850-7703!
