Childproofing Your Internet at Home in 3 Ways

Whether we believe in it or not, there are just as many threats online as there are in the physical surroundings of our children. With so many websites that are inappropriate for children and for anyone for that matter, it becomes extra crucial and relevant to childproof your internet at home.

Enable web filtering in your router. Activate web filtering directly to your router and not on your individual devices so it is easier to monitor and control what your kids can view and cannot view on the internet. It is the easiest and most practical way to filter internet access on all computers and all devices that are connected to your router at home.
Enable Windows’ parental controls. Assuming that you are a Windows user, part of the free Windows Essentials software is the Family Safety application. Aside from web filtering, this application exclusive to Windows Vista, 7 and 8 can also generate reports on your kids’ activities on the net, limit their time on the computer, limit the number and kinds of games they can play and limit the number and kinds of programs they can run on the computer. Users of OS X 10.4 Tiger can also activate parental controls on their computer. This is quite similar to the parental controls in Windows.
Establish internet rules at home. As much as you can install necessary prevention and security measures on your router and the devices your kids use to access the web, implementing house rules concerning the internet can add more value to your initial childproofing methods.
Create a daily time schedule when internet use is allowed. During a school week, limit the number of sites your child can visit so his or her internet use is strictly for school work. Block social networking sites if necessary.
Logistically speaking, have the computer placed in that part of your house where you spend most of your time in. That way, whenever your child uses the internet, he or she knows that you are just within the area to see what he or she loads on the browser. Also, it pays to have the Wi-Fi router work well in just one area of the house. Regardless if your kids are accessing the web on different devices, you can keep an eye on them since they are most likely to be just in one place where the Wi-Fi signals are strong.
Other tips to childproof your internet at home? Share it in the comments below.