Internet Safety for Kids

Minimizing Risks at Home

Keeping the computer in the living room to minimize risks

If you have a home computer that your kids use, there are some extra precautions that you can take to make it safer. Remember that your kids will probably use many other computers, and these precautions won't keep them safe when they're not at home. Also, keep in mind that these are just suggestions; depending on your parenting style and your kids' ages, you may choose not to use all of these.

• Keep the computer in the living room or in another common area. By putting the computer in a common area of the house, you can reduce the chances that they'll talk to strangers or visit inappropriate websites. For teens, you may choose to give them more freedom about where they use the computer (especially if they have their own computers).
• Install antivirus software. Viruses and other malware are a risk for any computer (although Macs are a little bit safer). To protect your computer, you can install antivirus software such as BitDefender, Norton, or Kaspersky.
• Use a kid-friendly search engine. Regular search engines may return results with inappropriate content that you don't want your kids to see. However, there are some search engines that are designed to only return kid-friendly results (although there is still the possibility of inappropriate results getting through). Examples include KidsClick!, KidTopia, and KidRex.org.
• Use parental controls. Windows and Mac OS X allow you to add parental controls to user accounts. These include time limits, website restrictions, controlling which applications can be opened, and more. You can also buy parental control software like Net Nanny, which has versions for Windows and Mac.
  Parental controls in Windows 7