How to Teach Your Kids About Browsing Search Engines Safely
The Internet is not always a safe space – especially for kids. The online world can be a great resource for children who need various pieces of information for school assignments and not only. Many platforms, such as this site, make sure that high-quality articles from trusted sources make it to the front page in Google search results.
Still, teaching your kids how to safely browse search engines is a must if you don’t want them to end up on strange websites. That being said, here is how you can teach your little ones about safe search engine browsing.
- Become Aware of the Potential Dangers
Although most searches may be harmless, it’s hard to predict what your child will stumble upon when looking for something. The Internet poses many risks, and online dangers come in different types.
For instance, kids and teenagers may stumble upon inappropriate language or pornography. On top of that, they may come across individuals who take advantage of your kid’s young age, cyber harassing or cyberbullying them when they have the chance. Malware is also a danger to be aware of.
Knowing the different risks will enable you to teach your kids why these situations are dangerous. This way, you can instruct them on how to make the right decisions when browsing search engines.
- Teach Your Kids to Ask for Permission Before Searching
You don’t have to keep your young kids away from the Internet for good, but you must train them how to ask for permission from you before using a search engine. This is especially important when the kids in question are extremely young and could easily be influenced by what they see online.
Sit next to them when they’re searching for information online, and teach them the appropriate words they can use to perform the search.
- Search Using a Website URL
One thing you can do to keep kids away from dangerous sites is to teach them how to perform a search using a website URL. You will search using the URL of the preferred site, then press SPACE on your keyboard, and then insert the right search words.
Tell your kids about this process and practice it with them a few times until they learn it. Also, teach them how to properly read the results.
- Make an Approved Site Bookmark Folder
A great way to make sure your children only browse appropriate websites and use the Internet for the right purposes is to bookmark safe websites.
If they frequently need to use search engines to conduct research for school, you can bookmark links to approved platforms and add them to a folder. Then, show your children how to access each website and use the search function there.
Final Thoughts
Children are very easy to influence and manipulate, which is why you should make sure no unscrupulous person can take advantage of them in the online world. Teaching them how to browse search engines safely can prevent many dangers. So, use these tips to ensure your children can perform online searches without any risks.
