How to manage what your child sees online
Jess Mitchell • February 7, 2023
The online world allows everyone to access a vast amount of information and services. As we already know, there are many websites and platforms that help to educate and entertain our children, but there is also inappropriate content out there. As a parent or carer, you may already have rules on how much screen time and which sites your children are allowed to access; but how can you make sure your child is safe surfing the internet whilst giving them a sense of independence and freedom?
Parental Controls
So how can we manage what our children see online? One of the best ways of keeping them safe is using parental controls. These controls can work on individual apps, WiFi networks and devices. Parental controls allow you to:
- Plan what time of the day your child can access online content and the duration
- Create content filters which can block inappropriate content from appearing on certain search engines and apps
- Manage the content between each user, meaning if you have a teenager and a younger child, your teenager can access older viewing content whilst your younger child keeps the same access
What are the limits of parental controls?
Parental controls are very helpful at keeping children safe online, but unfortunately there are some limitations to it. Even if you have managed to put controls on your children’s devices and home broadband, these devices will not keep the same controls when connecting to a different WiFi. Parental controls are just one of the ways that can work towards keeping your child safe.
Top Tips
Obviously, as a parent, you want your child to enjoy playing games and being able to complete their homework by using the internet. That’s why we have created some top tips to help keep them safe:
- Start off by having an honest conversation with your child. By explaining why you have put parental controls on their devices, and how you are helping keep them safe. Make sure you allow them to ask questions to discuss why these controls are in place.
- Make sure that the parental control passwords set on the devices are strong. With some parental controls, you will be able to set passwords which prevents them from being easily changed. When setting a password, try to use a mixture of lowercase, uppercase words, numbers, and symbols throughout the password.
- As children get older, your rules and restrictions may change for your children. Parents can change these rules at a pace appropriate to the age of your child. Do not feel like you must bow to pressure if your child says things such as “everyone else is allowed”.
- As already mentioned, content filters are not always effective. You need to make sure that if your child does see something inappropriate or upsetting online, they feel comfortable to come and talk to you about it.
What interested you about becoming an Island Volunteer Mentor? I was interested in volunteering and personal development to enhance my career prospects. I was at a stage where I was confused as to where I wanted to go next but I knew I was good with people, and I knew that my personality would suit working one to one with a young person. I knew that I could pass on good advice and life experience. How long did you mentor for The Island? I mentored for around 15 months. Every week for around 2 hours on a Thursday night. Sometimes we would miss a session due to various factors, but these sessions were caught up on. What did you enjoy most about the Mentoring? I enjoyed being able to experience many different activities with my young person and being able to see their confidence grow. I enjoyed catching up and hearing stories from the week and focusing my attention on that session. Different social settings allowed me to guide my young person and relay stories from my experience which I knew would be helpful. This was enjoyable as I knew I was passing on vital helpful advice for adulthood. Why do you think Mentoring is important for young people? I think in today's world with social media and the stresses on life can be overwhelming for everyone. For a young person to be guided by a mentor, they can step away from that world for a short while and express themselves or let off steam in an environment where they can be nurtured and not judged. With the guidance of a mentor, the young person can take the advice into everyday life which will hopefully help them in difficult and stressful situations. The young person can build up a relationship with the mentor and know that they have trust in them to be able to openly talk about their feelings away from a family, friend it school setting. Please let us know how you have found the support from the island and which aspects you have found the most valuable? I found the support very good and easy to access. I knew that if I needed any support or advice, I could email or call my supervisor. I found the group sessions with other mentors helpful as we could come together and talk about our experience and use any advice in future sessions. Hearing stories from other mentoring experiences was highly valued. Has the Island supported you with any future plans personally or professionally? If so, could you share this with us? The island has kept in touch with me regarding several career opportunities throughout the mentoring process that I have considered. I know that I could sit with the island and discuss any plans if I needed to. Most of all, they have helped my confidence and gave me a platform to express myself and follow my goals which has put me in good stead for next move in my career as a health trainer. The skills and experience I have gained from my mentoring will be transferred over to this next role. At the Island, we are constantly looking for people who have the ability to listen, and who feel that they can develop a positive rapport with children and young people in an honest, challenging and non-judgemental way. All prospective volunteer mentors receive training, support and supervision. This covers such areas as communication, child protection, equal opportunities and often, in the process mentors learn more about themselves, too. To find out more about our volunteer opportunities please click here www.theislandyork.org
The Island works in many ways to support children and their families in York. This article explores the importance of ensuring that all families have the opportunity to go holiday, and how The Island helps people take a break from the pressures of daily life. The Summer Holidays With summer approaching, children and young people will begin to look forward to the holidays. For many, they offer a welcome extended break from school and a chance to make new memories with family and friends. However, for others, they represent a more challenging time. The cost of living crisis has placed the greatest financial pressure on families for a generation. The Office for National Statistics reports that the price of consumer goods has risen ‘at the fastest rate in four decades in the year to October 2022’. Inflation is having the greatest impact on the most vulnerable in our society. The Resolution Foundation found that the lowest income households spend three times more of their family budget on gas and electricity energy bills than the highest. In this context, many parents are having to cut back on holiday plans in order to ensure their children have the essentials that they need. The Family Holiday Charity report that 2.2 million families with dependent children are unable to afford a one week holiday in the UK. This is a startling figure, and one that is expected to rise as the cost of living crisis continues. What does The Island offer families? We believe that every family deserves to spend time together away from the stresses of everyday life. The Island has a holiday property in Bridlington, which offers children the chance to relax and reconnect with their families. In 2019, we helped sixteen families have a week long holiday, and ten families take a weekend break. A parent of a mentee at The Island said that the property provided “a space we can be together, away from the daily grind, and to have a laugh”. They went on to describe their time away as “life-changing”. We’re committed to providing more of these priceless experiences to families in York. How can you support families in York? If you’d like to support us to help more families visit our holiday property by making a donation, please click here . Alternatively, if you’d like to view the current volunteering opportunities at The Island, such as being a mentor, fundraiser, or content writer, click here .
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