As the internet continues to be a focal point of our daily lives, another problem has long since reared its head. Teenagers need to use the web on a regular basis, for homework and social interaction. There is no avoiding it. But it can have a number of risks associated with it, and can begin to impact their behavior in negative ways.
One of your jobs as a parent is to ensure your children are safe. Including on the web. But when your daughter is in her teens, it is much harder to regulate than it would be if they were children. Smartphones and other devices make it all the more difficult.
Here are some ways to keep your teen daughter safe on the web.
Talk To Them About Safe Sites
This is not the same as it would be for a small child. Your teen is going to have greater control over the content they view. Your best bet is to talk to them about what sites you feel they should avoid, and why.
Unfortunately, a lot of sites are a grab bag because they are based on user content. Which is why having the conversation is so very important. Tumblr, for instance, is a blogging site that has safe search controls. But that doesn’t stop porn blogs from popping up all over the site, and adding people at random. Your teen could likely be on the receiving end at some point.
Another site, Reddit, has subgroups that cover every topic imaginable. But some are more controversial, such as subreddits featuring videos of people dying, and pictures of extreme gore. It is hard to ensure your child isn’t exposed; even Facebook can end up with some horrible content coming through people’s streams.
Keep the conversation open, and make sure they know what to do when they see things they shouldn’t.
Use Parental Controls and Tools
Some content can be blocked. You can go into the options menu on Google when signed into your child’s account and put on Safe Search, which will block offensive content. Or ask them to use a site like Kiddle.co that more highly regulates search functions.
K9 Web Protection is a tool that monitors, blocks, and allow parents to set time limits of time spent on the computer. Though it doesn’t work for phones, and so has limited applications. PC Mag has a list of other tools and tips to keep your kids safe on the web.
For more resources that can help you parent your teenage girl through this murky digital age, you should check out this ebook from HelpYourTeenNow.
Education and Communication: Your Best Protection Online
Your teenager is getting older, and some allowances have to be made. Their independence is growing, so how do you truly keep them safe on the web, when so many risks exist? Your best protection is always open communication and awareness.
Tyler Jacobson is a father, husband, and freelancer, with experience in writing and outreach for organizations that help troubled teen girls and their parents. Tyler has offers tasteful humor and research backed advice to readers on parenting tactics, problems in education, issues with social media, mental & behavioral disorders, addiction, and troublesome issues raising teenage girls. Connect with Tyler on: Twitter | Linkedin