The risk involved in leaving minors free to act on the web, social networks and chat is that they surpass us in everything and for everyone. Also for a generational question it is inevitable that children and grandchildren have a native familiarity with the Net. So we ask ourselves what to do or what are the good practices to follow to protect them . Traps are in fact everywhere and range from small and large scams up to dangerous enticements.
All without forgetting the indispensability of protecting privacy . Yes, because when you surf the web you leave traces of your passage. And this also includes personal information about yourself, friends or family. Minor children and grandchildren are hardly aware of the legislation and good practices to follow. Consequently, it is better to play in advance. So here are some useful tips.
For computer security , the best practice for the protection of minors (and of the PC) is the installation of an effective antivirus.
One of those that offers additional services beyond the simple, albeit valuable, detection of viruses and malware. Some software, both free and paid, add for example a timer to calculate the time spent on the web or on social media and chat. The user can also set a maximum time threshold per day with an alert in the second after the limit is exceeded.
Some additional features also allow you to select content accessible to minors and to receive notifications in the event of a search for inappropriate keywords. The step for mobile devices is geolocation complete with a consultation of the history. It is therefore a greater protection than parental control apps. The latter allow you to keep browsing times and geolocation under control, but do not protect against viruses and malicious content.
An option as simple as it is strategic to keep minors away from the traps of the web is to set up a dedicated profile on the devices they use. The utility is obvious: if the same device is also used by other family members, consultation activities can be managed based on age. Therefore, the profile for children and teenagers can be set with the inhibition of websites for adults or with the setting of usage time limits. The interesting thing is that this operation can be performed both on PCs equipped with Windows and on Macs. Same thing also on mobile devices.
The risk for minors of letting themselves be completely captured by the web regardless of the passage of time is always very evident. Think for example of the power of attraction of Twitch or the network dedicated to gamers, which hosts the games of fans of the titles of the moment. Dedicated to live shows, without adequate discipline it is really hard to hope that the kids will abandon the vision in the middle of a live streaming event.
This is a more technical solution and therefore not immediately applicable, but it is certainly effective in achieving the goal of protecting minors from the risks and dangers of the web. This is the implementation of restrictions on devices browsing the home network using OpenDNS .
Name Domain Systems translate domain names into IP addresses. OpenDNS allows you to verify the websites visited by keeping them in memory. The user can block sites that he deems unsuitable for minors . This solution proves ineffective if they choose to use Tor Browser to browse the web. The only way is to inhibit the installation of Tor and similar programs from the administrator account, to be protected with a password.
We mentioned the possibility of filtering the contents of the web to protect with the Parental Control . To do this, go to the router settings, search for the item and check the useful options. The user can apply the same restrictions to all devices that connect to the web with the home Wi-Fi network.
Again it is good to know that there is a loophole to circumvent the restrictions. In fact, it is enough to restart the router to change the settings . Without forgetting that this block is only active if the connection is made with the local Wi-Fi network and therefore not outside your home.
Cover image by Victoria Borodinova (Pixabay)
