If you have a computer in your home, there are many things you can do to child-proof it in order to keep both your computer and your children safe. This includes preventing your children from becoming physically injured, as well as preventing your children from gaining access to images or text that may be emotionally or mentally damaging.
Since a computer is a piece of electrical equipment, there are steps you should take to child-proof it in order to prevent your child from becoming physically harmed. First, you should never allow a child to take drink or food near the computer. Not only can spillage result in electrocution, but it can also cause permanent damage to your computer. You should also child-proof your computer by making sure all cables are properly plugged in and in good shape.
In order to child-proof your computer from questionable sites and online predators, you should install special Internet filtering software. Most of this software allows parents to set separate controls for themselves and for the children. By using filtering software, you can block out sites that you find offensive.
Many of these filters also recognize questionable Web sites and block them out without requiring you to manually input the data. Still, this is not a foolproof way to child-proof a computer. These programs are not capable of keeping up with all of the new sites added to the Internet every day. In addition, children can find ways to work around them.
Another important way to child-proof your computer is to discuss safety concerns with your child. Provide the child with boundaries and explain the importance of never giving out personal information. This includes your phone number and address, and the name of the child’s school. Since children do not always follow the rules provided by their parents, the computer should also be kept in a public area of the home. In this way, you can monitor your child’s activity and see the sites that he or she is visiting.
When monitoring your child’s activity, make sure he or she does not visit chat rooms. You can child-proof your computer by telling your filter to block all chat rooms in order to ensure your child does not visit these sites. If all of these child-proof tips have not helped and you are afraid your child may have made a dangerous online connection, call the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s CyberTipline at 1-800-843-5678 inside the United States.