Tips for Teaching Kids Safe Internet Use: Do your kids spend a lot of time on their phones, leaving you worried they might stumble upon inappropriate content? Here are five settings you can adjust to safely give your kids a phone.
Smartphones have become a necessity in today’s world, with both adults and children using them extensively. Not only do kids use mobile phones for gaming, but often they also need them for school projects and homework. However, parents often worry about the content their children might access or if they misuse the phone. Let’s explore five things you can do when giving phones to your children.
- Enable Google Play Restrictions: When giving your kids a phone, ensure to turn on Google Play restrictions first. This prevents children from accessing games and websites with adult content. You can access this setting by going to the Settings option in the left corner of the Google Play Store, then selecting Parental Controls. Here, you can set a PIN to lock this feature.
- Social Media Settings: Always turn on social media privacy settings when giving your kids a phone. Platforms like YouTube and Instagram have parental control options that allow you to track your children’s activities.
- Avoid Using Your Email ID: Sometimes, parents give their personal email IDs to their children, allowing them to make purchases of games or apps using the parent’s email ID. This can lead to financial fraud. Therefore, it’s better to create a separate email ID for your children.
- Teach Internet Safety Tips: Whenever you give your children a phone, educate them about internet safety. Teach them how to avoid viruses, malware, cybercrimes, and online payment risks. Also, emphasize never to share OTPs or account details with anyone.
- Keep Your ATM PIN and Bank Details Safe: If your children are in their growing age and you fear they might misuse your personal belongings, keep your bank account details such as passwords and ATM PINs safe in your phone or write them down in a diary instead of saving them on the phone.
