It seems that every child is born with the knowledge on how to operate the devices we have spent decades developing. If you don’t believe us, hand your mobile device to a child and see how quickly they learn how to function the device. Recently, one of our customers said that she trusts a kid to fix her problems with her phone over going to a big box chain. That speaks volumes on the adaptability of children and technology.

There is a downside to this as well. Since more and more parents are handing over their devices for children to play with, or even getting them their own devices, children are being subjected to the online world. In most countries, they have laws restricting access to things such as tobacco, alcohol, voting, and driving a car. However, we don’t know of any country that is limiting the age a child can use a mobile device. This leaves them wide open to ridicule and even fraud. While most websites and mobile devices will attempt to restrict access by putting an age limit on their technology, very few are hard to get around.

Throughout this article, we are going to discuss some of the ways that internet reputation companies are trying to make parents aware of the dangers of giving children access to technology too soon. This is by no means saying that we think there should be stricter laws preventing the use by children. This is more of an article about teaching the parents how to keep their children safe. It can also avoid having to pay a costly bill later to reverse the damage they had done when they were younger.

Settings & Filters

As we all know, once something is on the internet, it is tough to get it removed. In most cases, once it is on the internet, it is there forever. Some countries are trying to pass “right to be forgotten” laws, but it isn’t proving to be very useful. Therefore, we suggest that you nip things in the bud before it becomes a problem.

One of the ways you can do this is by adjusting the settings and filters on your and your child’s mobile devices. This can be anything from device security settings to browser protection. All you have to do is take the time to go through the parental controls and apply as much or as little of the options as you feel comfortable. We do not think that this is in any way being too controlling. The internet is an unforgiving place, and children can be quite trusting. It is best to protect your child from a possible mistake than trying to clean up after the fact.

Setting Boundaries

If we are honest, we think that some adults should do this as well. Limiting the places that you visit on the internet will significantly reduce the chances of bad things happening. When you are considering the boundaries for your children, consider the following areas.

•    Have active adult supervision of all devices within the home. Not only will this help to teach them when they should or should not go to a website or app, but it will also give you valuable insight into their browsing habits. You can later find similar websites and applications and apply a parental block on them.

•    Proper use of parental controls is also essential. You must keep the bad stuff off the child’s devices. However, you do not want your child to feel as though you are keeping them from expressing themselves. So long as the places they are going is not harmful to the way you are looking to raise the child, you need to let them start to figure out who they are in the world. Keep in mind, restricting them from certain things may lead to rebellion and have the reverse effect you were intending.

•    Have your children alert you to things that make them uncomfortable. This can be a way to gauge how much leniency is right for your child. If you can see that they are uncomfortable with sites that you would be uncomfortable with, then it might be time to loosen the parental controls a little bit.

•    Monitor any of their activity on social media channels. When your child is interested in a social media channel, it is essential for you to to have that same platform as well. Ask them to send you a friend request. Of course, this will be under the guise of them, adding an extra friend. The point of it will be for you to monitor their activity and steer them away from any shady characters.

•    The last thing we are going to have you consider is your child’s browser history. It is important to hand the device over with a clean browser history. For more information on this, conduct a Google search for your brand of phone and the browser you are using. Having a clear history will allow you to look at the places your child has been. Some may see this as an invasion of privacy, but how is it any different than checking what they are watching on television?

Final Thoughts At internet reputation service companies, we do not take joy in bad things happening to people. It is for that reason that we want to make sure that your children are safe from some of the evilest parts of the internet. Keep in mind that in some cases, things that your children do can come back to haunt you. While we should let each person stand on their own, there does come a time in which you should share some of the responsibility. If the child is an adult, then their actions should speak for them and them alone. However, if they are younger, some of the faults should fall on the parent. We are not only trying to protect your reputation but the reputation of your child. Review the list above when it comes to making rules. You will be happy that you did.