Easter is almost upon us! And as ever, popular holidays equal more online traction, which in turn leads to more available chances for dodgy online activity – whether it’s related to online browsing and shopping, increased social media use, or more screen time.
Our job is to keep you and your family cyber safe – so this year, enjoy our top tips for a stress-free Easter!
Screen Time
As we all know – the second school breaks up for the holidays, the amount of screen time dramatically increases. Whether it’s more TV or playing on a tablet, computer or phone – chances are your kids are already glued to a screen. But with summer around the corner and the weather getting warmer, it would be a travesty to stay indoors with a screen.
This Easter, let’s reduce screen time:
🐣 Plan some extra fun outside activities – if you don’t have a garden, find a park and take a ball, jump rope or some chalks, and let your kids benefit from the fresh air.
🐣 Set a schedule: Even during holiday time, routine is still really beneficial for kids – decide together how much screen time they should have, and what time holiday bedtime will be.
🐣 Don’t forget you may want to factor in some family movie nights as well! So it’s up to you how you include this in your weekly screen time amount.
Online Predators
The anonymity of the internet can attract all sorts of shady characters. When it comes to our kids and online chat rooms, or instant messaging through gaming apps, we need to be super aware of online predators. It’s one thing for your child to be playing Roblox against a friend – but it’s another scenario entirely when they start to communicate with a complete stranger.
What can you do?
🐣 Speak to your child about who they chat to online – encourage them to discuss with you when it’s safe to use instant messaging.
🐣 Where possible, add the highest level of privacy settings so your child can’t be contacted by strangers.
🐣 A parent’s job is to make sure their child always feels safe. If anyone messages them, whether it be through online games, social media messaging, or WhatsApp – if they feel uncomfortable or upset, this is a major red flag.
Cyber Safety
It’s important to keep our children educated on basic cyber hygiene. This might be more relevant for older tweens and teens who manage their own accounts and devices.
Some key reminders:
🐣 Keep all passwords safe! Don’t reuse them, and make sure they are diverse so they can’t be guessed.
🐣 Manage digital footprints – kids should be wary of what they post online, and how far-reaching the repercussions could be.
🐣 Updating devices – help your kids make sure they’re updating their devices when they need to.
And of course, using a parental control app can help in all these key areas – whether it’s getting alerts about inappropriate language being used, checking that your child has enough battery when they’re out with friends, blocking dangerous sites, and setting screen time schedules.
Thousands of parents around the world are already using the FamilyKeeper parental control app – this Easter, give yourself the gift of peace of mind, and enjoy our new Easter promotion – with 50% of all plans!
