In the current climate, you may find yourself working from home, which may beg the question, ‘How do I ensure my children are safe online whilst I’m working?’ Here you will find some top tips to help keep yourself and your children safe online whilst you are working from home.
1) Set safe searches such as KidRex, KidzSearch or Kiddle up as the homepage on your kids’ devices. This ensures when you are off working or need to keep your kids entertained they are using the Internet safely.
2) If your work means you need to access websites that aren’t child friendly, use incognito mode or make sure to close your tabs and remove your history once you are done. There is a link below to show you how to use incognito mode.
3) If you share your device with your child and they also have work to do, make separate folders for you to save your work in and for them to do the same. That way you have separate places for your things.
4) Put a password on your work computer and let your children know this is YOUR platform. If you share devices with your children, make sure you save their most used games and websites to the homepage. If you’re not sure how, Google it or watch a YouTube video.
5) If they are old enough, talk openly and honestly about boundaries. When it comes to working at home, discuss what that means in terms of using and sharing devices and making sure you are all using the internet positively with taking into account how much screen time you all should have.
6) When we are working from home and getting more screen time than usual, it is important we look after our mental health. Take regular breaks from your screens and encourage your children to do the same, it can be a great way to get some social interaction and spend time together in a constructive way.
Communication Is Key!
Keeping personal information safe is vital, especially now. As boredom rises there is bound to be more interaction online, whether that is video chatting, posting on social media or hours spent gaming. So take a look at our tips below to make sure you and your family are making positive decisions to keep your family safe online.
1) If you and your family find yourself in self-isolation, it is important to be sensible with screen time. Make time to talk, play games or do activities together that don’t involve a screen. Try and make certain hours in the day screen free, meal times are a great place to start. Remember that means you too!
2) Being at home can have many benefits when it comes to understanding your children and their interactions online. Get to know their habits, their feelings and emotions when online. Ask them questions about what they like to do, how to use certain apps and whether they can teach you anything about them. You can then see why they enjoy spending time there and how they can protect themselves. Show them you are there to go to for help rather than as someone who will punish them for using these platforms.
3) Talk with your kids about sites they are allowed to visit and make sure you are checking age restrictions for games and sites such as YouTube or Facebook.
4) Set parental controls on your devices and Internet. There is a link below to show you how.
5) Don’t panic! There are constant news articles and horror stories you hear on TV or from other parents but take it as a chance to speak to your child about what they could do if they felt scared or worried about anything online.
6) Remember that having online platforms is amazing, so take full advantage of it and connect with friends and family to ensure loneliness or boredom is kept as minimal as possible.
7) Home workout videos are posted daily on Maccabi GB’s Facebook so get active and moving alone or with your family!
8) There are always new apps and social media platforms, which can feel overwhelming, but if you’re not sure you can also go to net-aware.org.uk to find more information.
Useful links:
Catherine Charles
Project Coordinator , Streetwise