When you’re young, there is little that is more intriguing than that which your parents try to keep from you. When you’re a parent, though, you understand why a child should be kept from things that are beyond their level of maturity.

One of the nice things about the vast number of websites at your fingertips on the web is that there are lots of free activities, like free online flash games for kids, that your children can do that will keep them occupied for hours. But there’s also a lot out there that they shouldn’t be exposed to. The web is fully of sexually explicit materials, gambling websites, sites about drugs and weapons, and sites for cheating at school. There are dangerous people out there with whom your child can come into contact through social media. Predators may be a rarity, but they’re out there, and young people may be too naive to understand that you can’t trust everyone. Kids can share too much information about your family. They can engage in cyber-bullying. They can figure out how to spend your money. And they can get hooked on their computer fix, eschewing sleep and exercise for days and nights spent online. Teens in particular are susceptible to dangerous behaviours, ruined reputations, and disclosing information they think will remain private.

Fortunately, there are measures you can take to combat these dangers. The most important piece of the puzzle is you, the parent. You need to be committed to online safety, you need to set boundaries, and you need to communicate openly and honestly about the dangers of the web. You can’t assume they have the common sense to stay out of trouble. And when they do get in trouble, you have to be consistent with enforcing penalties.

Sure, it sounds overly simplistic to think that telling them what’s what will make a difference. That’s why parents have many resources at their disposal to safeguard their kids by making it difficult to get what you’re protecting them from, and to let you know when they’ve tried. Even if you bought a computer just for your child, you shouldn’t consider it as their possession. It’s yours, as much as the house is yours and not theirs. It’s your prerogative to implement any controls you see fit.

Security systems are available that give you the ability to monitor their browsing. They let you filter out inappropriate sites, limit their email and instant messaging, and watch their social media use. You can even have the software alert you for questionable words or phrases without eavesdropping. And the security suites can summarize all you need to know in email reports and alerts.

If you’re worried about the content of the free online flash games your kids play, you can use a filter to block out video game sites, but set exceptions for those sites that specifically exclude games with violent themes. It just takes a web search for family-friendly games to put together a list of sites that you can personally approve. You can be sure they stick to free online flash games, and you can direct them to flash games sites especially for kids.

It may take some work to put all these measures in place, but that’s why the most important factor in online safety is parental commitment.

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