By Anna Chin, Founder & Chairman of GOFBA
With millions of parents now working from home and kids off school due to COVID-19, the phrase “work/life balance” is taking on a new meaning. Parents with jobs of course need to work while at home to keep the lights on. This means kids have more time at home, with more screen time.
How can work-at-home parents best keep their kids safe while they’re searching online and using their devices? It begins with candid and open discussions. Parents should clearly state the dangers of the internet and searching (adjusted to the child’s age) and be willing to openly answer questions.
1. Manage Their Phone Usage
Practicing self-distancing is tough for the entire family. While it may seem like younger kids and teens are used to mobile-only communication, they’re very likely missing their friends. Be aware of their phone usage, especially as they engage in more video chats through Zoom, Duo, or FaceTime. While such interactions with their friends and family are great ways to connect and provide comfort, they can lead to poor choices.
Talk to kids about expectations for the phone, especially the dangers of talking to someone they don’t know. Reinforce that the phone is “theirs” but it’s also your property and your responsibility. Remind kids that you have rights to inspect the phone at any time. You should also download tracking and key logging tools so you can see kid’s activities. If your children are driving (which should be very limited during isolation), then definitely use tracking to be certain they aren’t meeting friends in person.
2. Keep Personal Info Personal
Many younger kids and teenagers are not too worried about sharing personal information online, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and other sources. With a mobile-focused culture, many kids don’t consider images or other information to really be “personal.” Again, it’s time for an open discussion about what is considered personal and the risks of sharing. During self-isolation, kids might be tempted by boredom to share more of their information with friends and potentially strangers. Talk to kids about the tactics online predators use to pry information from subjects, such as pretending to be a peer, or hacking into accounts.
When it comes to social media, encourage kids to wait until they’re 18 before opening an account. If they already have social media, then consider pausing the accounts during quarantine, and instead encourage one-on-one texting or video chats with friends as an alternative.
3. Leverage Tech Tools for Monitoring
While you’re at home managing work and the kids, it’s a good time to find the right tech tools that will make part of your life easier. These programs can streamline how you keep on eye on your kid’s surfing and device usage habits, so you have more time to work, do the chores, and all the other parts of self-isolation. Here are a few monitoring and blocking tools to consider:
- Kidlogger (for Android) is a keylogger that captures every device keystroke. It also captures photos and location data, which is then reviewable remotely.
- FamilyShied is a surfing technology that can block certain domains on your entire home network. You’ll have to make sure this function corresponds to any workplace requirements you have, but it’s a great tool for blocking sexual and violent content, and the use of proxy servers.
- Qustodio is a phone technology that includes social media tracking and a screen time manager. Controlling the amount of time kids spend on their devices is a hot-point discussion during COVID-19 quarantine, so a manager tool is especially helpful.
4. Offer Safer Searching
Kids are inherently unpredictable. They might perform searches that might start out innocent, but one or two clicks or “suggested searches” could quickly lead them to inappropriate areas. Talk to your kids about best practices for safe searching, such as avoiding certain words and being careful with “image” and “video” results. Ask them to talk to you directly or (if they’re older) to stick to reputable news organizations for information about the pandemic.
A secure search engine and communication platform option for parents to consider is GOFBA. It’s a family-friendly search that eliminates pornography, violent content, and other inappropriate sites from the actual search results. It is constantly scanning search results and actively removing fraudulent or malicious sites.
The Takeaway
Parents that are now working from home should use COVID-19 as an opportunity to talk openly with their kids about the internet, devices, and social media. By engaging in communication, parents can help remove some of the stressors that come with the pandemic and provide guidelines to keep kids as safe as possible during turbulent times.
