Internet Safety Rules for Kids: A Quick Guide

Internet safety rules for kids must be set by parents. These rules, if followed, will help kids in avoiding unsafe situations. It will help in empowering them to protect themselves online.

Children are growing up in a world where being on the internet has become as important as reading books, watching television and playing outdoors. Browsing on the internet is fun for kids. But they need to be taught to use it responsibly to help them in avoiding unsafe situations. Given below are some simple internet safety rules for kids to be followed while surfing the web:

1. Never accept friend requests from strangers – Don’t talk to strangers online. Add only those people whom you know in real life. This will help in minimising risk of getting into an unsafe situation.

2. Never agree to meet someone whom you’ve only met online – As per the internet safety rules for kids, It can be dangerous to meet someone alone whom you have met online. Take your parents or a trusted adult with you but never go alone.

3. Stay anonymous online or use a nickname – Never tell your real name online. Also, refrain from uploading photos or something that gives away your real identity. This is especially important when you are using social media.

4. Check your internet security and use a secure VPN Connection – For kids internet safety, always use a secure Wi-Fi network while using the internet. Make use of secure VPN (Virtual private network) connection.  VPN enables you to have a secure connection between your device and an Internet server. It ensures that no one can monitor or access the data that you’re exchanging.

5. Keep your privacy intact – As per the internet safety rules for kids, refrain from sharing personal information online as that could be misused by someone in real life. Keep a check on your privacy settings and use difficult passwords while logging in to social media which cannot be guessed.

6. Make use of the antivirus program on your computer and keep it updated  – Internet safety rules for children suggest that you need to make sure your antivirus software is up to date. They protect your computer and your personal information from malware. It will detect and remove most malware from your system.

7. Respect other people’s views – Everyone has freedom to express their views, including you. Don’t be rude or use any foul language while commenting on anyone’s post or photo. Online fights can become very ugly at times and can harm you. Be kind online. It’s OK to disagree, but don’t be disagreeable.

8. Watch out for Phishing Scams – Kids’ internet safety rules suggest that you should not  click on URLs in an email or social network message. Install and use a security program that recognises and blocks any suspicious URLs.

9. Be careful when shopping online – Internet safety rules suggest that you should always look for secure sites while shopping or banking. Secure sites have the web address starting with HTTPS. The “s” stands for “secure. Only shop at reputable online merchants. When in doubt, ask parents or any trusted adult.

10. Use a child friendly safe search engine – Internet safety for kids is ensured by Child friendly safe search engines. They filter any inappropriate content and unsafe search results for kids. SafeSearchEngine.com is one such safe search engine which is child-friendly and provides safe search results. Any unsafe search will result in popping up of an error message and will not allow kids to view the content.

11. No laptops and phones in the bedroom – For kids online safety, the internet should be strictly used in common areas where adults can supervise them. Do not use laptops and phones in the bedroom as it is more difficult for cyberbullies to harass children when adults can see what children are doing.

Don’t forget to share among your friends.

Happy Safe Searching!