Thanks RossBackup for sponsoring this post.
More kids are using computers and the internet today than ever before. Oftentimes we forget about all of the risks that come with allowing our children unmonitored access to the world wide web. It’s not called world-wide by coincidence. There really are influencers all across the world that are just lurking out in cyber space waiting for the right moment. Kids are gullible and easy for hackers to get to.
We could simply shield our children from these unseen attackers, but that approach rarely works. Some parents prefer to completely block internet access at home in order to rid the problem, but one day their children will eventually go to a friend’s house or someplace where they will be able to access the internet. The best option would be to educate your child and introduce them properly to safe internet use.
We have compiled a list of ways that you can protect your children better without “Shielding” them.
1) Know which devices have internet access. We all know about the computer, iPad and smartphones, but how about the TV? Some of the newer electronic games have internet access also!
2) Make sure that all computers are located and used in a centralized location, no corners or bedrooms.
3) Establish time limits for how long he/she is allowed online per day.
4) Make joint surfing times. Go online together and practice internet safety.
5) Talk to your kids. Explain that it’s like driving. You might be a careful driver, but it’s the other guy you need to watch out for.
6) Install internet protection and/or supervision for younger kids.
7) Do a little background work before letting your kids go to a friend’s house. Is there parental supervision when they go online? No need to be obsessive, just do a little legwork.
8) Keep an eye out for recently deleted history or weird pop ups.
9) Make sure your kids understand that people might not be who they say they are, and they are not to share information, or even chat, with strangers.
10) Educate your kids about hyperlinks and the dangers they pose. Disable them if possible.
The above tips were provided to us by Aaron Ross from RossBackup.
About Aaron Ross:
At the age of 10, Aaron was already programming in DOS and fixing other people’s computers. After graduating High School, he began working with people to help protect their children from the dangers of the internet.
As his reputation in computer and software support began to grow, Aaron began working with small businesses as an IT specialist. It was around this time that he became fascinated with the concept of backing up information. His first backup was to a 10 GB hard drive and it still took over 14 hours for the backup to complete.
Aaron later began focusing on cloud based computing and storage. However, his teaching job in the morning and afternoon IT jobs, kept cloud storage on the back burner. As his family grew, so did his data. Family pictures, videos, school projects, and over the next 9 years, Aaron found himself with over 2 TB of data. Although almost everything was backed up externally, he decided to see how cloud backup would work.
In 2010, Aaron signed up with a reputable online backup company, and set up all his information to go up to the cloud. With internet speeds creeping up, this seemed like the smartest way to back up his information. In April of 2011, a house fire destroyed Aaron’s house. Although thankfully Aaron and his family were OK, the computers and hard drives were all burnt. When Aaron went to see what information had been backed up to the cloud after 6 months, he found a few small files. Apparently, this “Fantastic” program only automatically backed up files smaller than 1 GB.
Aaron was so frustrated, he decided to create a backup program that would be simple, fast, and inexpensive. A few investors joined in, and RossBackup was born. After working with a few different developers, Aaron was ready to launch in BETA at the end of 2012. As the years have passed and the company has grown tremendously, Aaron has stayed very involved in the day to day operations. He loves taking support calls, and still believes that the customer is always right.
RossBackup offers unlimited data protection so you can backup all of the moments that matter to you.
For more information about RossBackup visit: www.rossbackup.com.
Wonderful tips! Thanks for sharing. I agree regarding the shielding.