With technology rapidly advancing, children are often more tech savvy than their parents. On more than one occasion, I have had to call a parent and inform them their child accidentally stumbled upon an inappropriate adult site or YouTube video, and then shared explicit information with classmates. The embarrassed parent is usually shocked and surprised to learn how easily this can happen. Most parents I have spoken with are digitally naive. They do not realize how accessible inappropriate information is or how easily it can be to install filter controls.
A generous relative recently gave my children an ipad. While they were thrilled, I was a little apprehensive about loosing more control over their online activities. While the Internet can be an amazing educational resource, like most parents, I worry about exposing them to information too advanced for their age. Up until this point, I've been able to closely monitor their online activities by placing our desktop computer in a common area of the house. Casually walking by, allowed me to easily monitor online activities. I also installed parental control software to filter adult content and limit time usage. When they were younger, I spent time exploring sites such as webkins and mooshi monsters before allowing them access. Usually, the choices they made were fine. However, after a few minutes on a virtual second life site, I placed a block and declared it off limits when visiting the friend who recommended the site. Parents must decide for themselves what is within their comfort zone.
Technology continues to evolve as my children grow, making it challenging to stay a step ahead of them. Fortunately, an Internet search allowed me to learn about parental control tools for handheld devices. Apple has features for free on the settings tab of iphones, ipods and ipads. Restrictions can be placed on app purchases, safari access, and media content. My favorite discovery was the feature to ban explicit music. However, there are limitations. Having an avid teen reader in the house, I was disappointed to learn ibooks do not have ratings, so the restriction setting is all or none. (If anyone has a tip for book filters, please let me know and I will update this post). As parents, it is essential we continually explore ways to keep children safe. Staying abreast of the latest technology is not easy, but if we share what we learn with each other we may be able to shield our children a little longer.
For more information about apple controls: http://www.appleparentalcontrols.org/
Technology continues to evolve as my children grow, making it challenging to stay a step ahead of them. Fortunately, an Internet search allowed me to learn about parental control tools for handheld devices. Apple has features for free on the settings tab of iphones, ipods and ipads. Restrictions can be placed on app purchases, safari access, and media content. My favorite discovery was the feature to ban explicit music. However, there are limitations. Having an avid teen reader in the house, I was disappointed to learn ibooks do not have ratings, so the restriction setting is all or none. (If anyone has a tip for book filters, please let me know and I will update this post). As parents, it is essential we continually explore ways to keep children safe. Staying abreast of the latest technology is not easy, but if we share what we learn with each other we may be able to shield our children a little longer.
For more information about apple controls: http://www.appleparentalcontrols.org/
NetSmartz is an online resource from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The site features age appropriate games and videos along with resources for parents: http://www.netsmartz.org/Parents