A family digital safety expert has shared six places that you shouldn’t allow your child to be online, and parents may not have thought of a few.
Internet safety is a big topic at the moment, especially with the new UK ban on social media, and the majority of parents are very vigilant about what our children consume online. This may mean vetting video games and banning certain ones, strict YouTube rules, smartphone and social media bans and so much more.
But the internet is here to stay so we will have to let our children have access at a point, and we will monitor it less and less as they get older.
However, while parents are switched on when it comes to the ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘when’ of our kids’ internet usage, many parents overlook the ‘where’, which is just as important.
RELATED: Dentist says this popular lunchbox staple is the ‘most cavity-causing food’
According to Chris McKenna, a family digital safety expert who shares information about online safety for parents on his social media accounts, there are six ‘most dangerous’ places for children to be using the internet.
He says that ‘some places ‘temptation lurks heavier in certain places’ when it comes to what kids are searching on the internet, and some locations ‘increase the risk of digital harm, and making poor digital choices’.
This means that you should avoid letting your kids use the internet in these places, ‘especially during the summer’.
6 ‘most dangerous’ places for your child to use the internet
- Sleepovers – Sleepovers are a controversial topic themselves, but if you do allow them, then kids’ internet usage during them needs to be ‘heavily guarded’ according to Chris. He reminds parents of the ‘shenanigans’ they probably got up to during sleepovers and says to multiply that by 100 when the internet is involved.
- Bathrooms – He says that this is an obvious one and we agree. ‘Keep privacy violating technologu out of private places’.
- Bedrooms – Chris tells followers that children feel ‘invincible’ when they are in their bedrooms which can be ‘toxic when combined with a smartphone’.
- Basements – These are often ‘quiet, dark and private’ which can be ‘toxic’ when combined with the internet.
- School buses – Chris says that he has received ‘too many’ emails from parents whose children had been exposed to porn on the school bus.
- Grandparents’ houses – Grandparents often aren’t as aware about online safety as us so kids using the internet in their homes can be more risky. ‘We can help grandparents with filters, and grandparents can help by abiding by shared rules!’ Chris said.
‘Wise words’
So many parents thanked Chris for his ‘wise words’, and completely related to what he said. ‘Sadly [grandparents] don’t honor your expectations or boundaries. They roll their eyes and think we are being too strict,’ one parent said.
Another added: ‘The school bus really worries me because I have no control over that,’ while a third chimed in, asking: ‘How do you get grandparents to respect boundaries parents have when it comes to screen time?’
