Maintaining Computer Safety and Security for Kids
— by Sean Spencer, Software Development Expert and Author
The Internet has a lot of fun websites available where you can go to learn about all sorts of things! It also can be a dangerous place though, so it is important that you are careful about the things you do online and the websites you visit. Your parents might have a program on the computer that helps to block some of the bad stuff, but there are probably things that slip though. Read the article that follows for more information on how you can stay safe when you use the computer! There are a lot of fun sites you can visit where you can learn and play games that are safe and fun.
Plenty of people have made programs that will block bad content on your family computer. You will usually need a password to view some bad material. Some software will also block illegal sites where people steal music and movies. Ask your parents about the following:
- Ask your parents if you have filtering software to keep you safe from bad content. If your parents don't know what you mean, send them to this article.
- Ask your parents if you have antivirus or spyware protections software to keep your computer safe so it doesn't get bad computer viruses that could break it. With antivirus software, you can keep unwanted files off your computer. If they infect the machine, they could steal your private information.
Some companies have also made software that keeps track of all of the places on the internet you visit. This is a good way to make sure you are visiting only good websites and your parents can talk to you if the websites you visit aren"t good.
While the software talked about is good, it doesn't fix everything. You should still talk to your parents about some of the scary things found on the internet. Have a conversation with your parents and make sure you talk about all of the following:
- What information is it okay to share on the computer?
- How do I make sure I am only visiting okay websites?
- Who can I talk to on the computer when I play computer games?
One of the scariest dangers involves meeting people online and then visiting them in the real world. You should never do this. It isn't safe and if someone asks you to meet them tell your parents right away.
Make sure you talk to your parents about using the internet safely and then see if your parents will let you play some safety games on the computer. Games and educational videos can be a fun, and a different way to learn about computer safety. As you play the game or video, you can learn even more about keeping yourself safe in a way that is fun and entertaining.
Check out the links below for more information on internet safety.
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