One family PC? Here’s how to safeguard your kids

These days technologies and computers are increasingly melding themselves with our lives, providing a huge benefit in terms of learning, researching and generally conducting things that would otherwise take forever if dealt with in more conventional ways. Unfortunately though, the internet does have its perils, and if children are able to use the internet then the setting of parental blocks towards suspect content is very much required, even if there is only a family computer in the house. Here are some ways you can safeguard your family’s surfing.

Be Transparent
You can imagine the scene: the kids, who up until now have been unencumbered by parental and security controls, return home from school to find that sites are being blocked randomly and without reason- anger and arguments ensue. If you’re going to put controls on your computer then you need to talk to your children about what you are doing, why you are doing it and what the benefits will be. There’s literally no worse thing than your children thinking that you are tracking or restricting their internet use because you don’t trust them!

Windows Family Safety
If you’ve got a Windows PC as your main family computer, there’s a useful feature called Family Safety that you can easily utilise in order to exercise control over your children’s usage of the internet. Adding a child’s account (which also gives your child a feeling of autonomy and will teach them about computer and file layouts), Family Safety is turned on automatically for that account, and will, as well as restricting the types of sites and online content your child can visit, allow you to set limits on how much time the user can spend on the PC, a lifesaver if you’ve got lots of children.

Game Right
This tip is for the adults of the family who might not be well versed in the ways of the internet! Online gaming websites where players can enjoy casino games from the comfort of their own living room are massively popular right now and a lot of fun, although those that enjoy them need to be careful about how they go about enjoying the pastime. First, set yourself limits on what you wish to spend and also make sure you have read all of the relevant guides provided by online gaming sites such as Mrsmithcasino that offer guidance regarding responsible gaming (located here!)

Anti-Malware
With three or more people sharing a computer, the likelihood that someone will download unsuspectingly a file that is infected with malware or a computer virus is rather large. Viruses can ruin your computer, deleting files, mashing hardware and making your life a misery. To make sure you’re not attacked by evil viruses, install a respected anti-malware suite such as Kaspersky and download the free virus scan software Malwarebyes. These will protect your PC, and anti-malware suites often come with parental control options too!