‘Veena’ google this word and see the results…

Imagine your child has a project to research about the instrument ‘Veena’ and he / she googles ‘ veena’. Would you be comfortable with the links your child would have access to?

Google, YouTube, Blogs and online articles are a great source of information. We all rely on the world wide web even to check the spelling of a word. When our children come home with a homework project, even before we think and use our own knowledge, we tend to look online for resources and samples.

Ms. Archana Badri and Ms. Jayashree of Delhi Public School Electronic City had the Opportunity to attend a workshop on the topic ‘Online safety for children’ Conducted by the British Council. They came back with loads of learning which would be a great set of tips to the parents and teachers.

First and foremost, when you provide the internet to children to browse through, provide them with the correct search terms. For example – instead of telling them to search for ‘veena’ ask them to search for ‘veena musical instrument’.

• Parents should keep themselves updated with the scams that are prevailing online.
• ‘HTTPS’ and sometimes a padlock icon to the left of the web address helps determine the authenticity of a website.
• Invest in good antivirus software and schedule regular scans of the systems.
• Change passwords regularly to protect from spams and keep privacy.
• Talk to children often about online safety.
• Disable pop ups to ensure that children are not exposed to unnecessary information and articles.
• Advise them not to share personal images and information online.
• Make it a habit to go through the browsing history often to keep a check on what the children are browsing through.
• Install parental control software on computers and devices or safe search and safety mode on websites to ensure that children cannot access undesirable websites inadvertently.
• Check internet provider for broadband security.
• Internet crime complaint Centre Police HQ hhtp://police.lk~cyber crime/

Thank you Archana Ma’am and Jayashree Ma’am for sharing this gained knowledge with us.