Protect Young Eyes
Did you know that 42% of kids have a phone by age 10. By age 12, it’s 71% and by 14, it’s 91%? It’s not a question of “if” your child will see something inappropriate on the computer, it’s “when.” Chris suggested that when the mistake happens show love first to your child – the first reaction should not be to get upset. Getting upset may prevent your child from coming to you if the mistake were to happen again.
Did you know that your home router could have some safeguards built into it? Chris recommends the Gryphon guardian or Gryphon tower router than can help block inappropriate material and it also has a special feature where you can turn the internet off at a certain time or even remotely!
If your child wants to download a new app – parents should download it and follow the following steps:
- First, as the parent, download the app on your phone and play around with it yourself to learn more about the app including parental controls, safety and overall functionality.
- Second, allow your child to be on the app on your [parent’s] phone.
- Third, allow your child to download the app on their phone, but you [the parent] follow them on the social media account.
- Fourth, once they have shown that they are responsible – let them be on the app on their own.
Our children are exposed to so much more information and technology than we were as children. The information presented by Chris is not meant to scare you. Neither is the answer to eliminate internet all together [although at times that would be nice], as it is a necessity. The important takeaways from the Protect Young Eyes presentation is that it is important to communicate with your child and have open dialogue regarding internet safety.
For more information about internet safety or to sign up for the Protect Young Eyes newsletter visit Protect Young Eyes: Internet Safety for Families, Schools, and Churches. There is a wealth of information including blogs, testimonials, book suggestions, free presentations and more!