Concerned About Your Kid's Safety? Google Has Tips for Parents for a Safe Online Experience

Google had recently conducted their study showing the parents of online experience children were more concerned about online safety than those whose kids attended school in person.

Their study was conducted in Asia-Pacific with the following countries Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Latin America, alongside Google's Trust Research team from the countries of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. 

Lucian Teo, Google's Online Safety Education Lead, disclosed a few tips to ensure safer safety online to instill trust in parents of children attending school online.

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Google's tips for a safe online experience

Always protect their identities online.

The privacy and protection of their children's information was the primary concern among the parents surveyed. Parents cited worries about scams or hacking of accounts of their child.

Parents should teach their kids how to pick the best passwords they can use, which is not easy to guess for others. Simple passwords like initials, birthdates, or even their favorite cartoon characters are best to avoid in creating an account. And don't forget to search the passwords for yourself. Going to sites that have a good reputation for consumer protection is also useful.

Parents must always be mindful that ill-intentioned strangers can also use online social media to reach out to kids. So, be aware of who your kids speak to online, just as how mindful parents are in real life.

It is also essential for parents to speak to children about the games they play or the videos they watch, and the people they play online to support them.

In India, 74 percent of parents with kids attending online experience in school during the Covid-19 pandemic have surprisingly expressed increased concern about online safety, according to the survey. Interestingly, however, 34% or more than a third of parents interviewed have never spoken about online safety with their children.

It is necessary for parents to check the content of the game and whether the app enables online contact with others and considers whether a game is appropriate for their child. Some multiplayer games, including a thumbs up instead of a text chat, allow only a few social interaction options. It decreases the probability of unwanted social relationships by quite a lot.

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Always choose appropriate content for the right age. 

In surveys' top concerns surveys, it includes the long been fear for their children, and it is to experience inappropriate material. Luckily, family safety features are available that parents can use to help protect their kids from content that may not be appropriate for their age. Google's survey in India found that 71% of parents are using family safety features online.

So, here are some features that you can best start using for your kids today;

You can turn on Google SafeSearch to filter out explicit material for all searches, including photos, videos, and websites, in Google's search results. SafeSearch is designed to help block exact results from Google search results, such as pornography.

By creating a Google account for your child and using Family Connect, manage your child's mobile. It enables you to add Google Search filters, block websites, or only offer access to those you approve or monitor your child's location if they have their computer.

There are many parental controls available on YouTube Kids. In this area, you can restrict screen time, display only the videos you approve, or pick the appropriate material based on your child's age.

Any other time-tested tips include allowing kids to only use the internet in open spaces, such as the living room, in the house.

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