How To Monitor Your Child’s Online Activities

If You must Give Them Gadgets Early, This Advice Will Be Helpful For Those Who Can…

I find the approach below to be a sensible parenting advise and format in respect of monitoring the online activities of minors and children under our care:

“I have 3 kids, the oldest being 9. Each of them has an iPad. It’s good to expose your kids to technology at a young age.

Chukwunonso also has a laptop for his coding lesson. At 9, Nonso is coding better than I ever did at 23. At 9 he designed, programmed, and published an app in the Google play store.

But what did I do and continue to do to monitor and protect my kid’s online presence?

1. I made sure each of their devices is connected to a single apple account created by me and designated as a children’s account.
2. I made sure a mandatory password is required before a new app is installed. This is to make sure a new app can’t be installed on their device without my knowledge and permission. They don’t know the complex password.
3. I made sure their IPAD have no sim cards and this means their only access to the internet is via wifi.
4. From my internet router, I assigned a dedicated IP to each of their devices, and with a dedicated IP, I was able to use a firewall to permit only 8 websites that can be accessed. Every other website is blocked off.
5. I synced their devices to my device and with a virtual monitor app, I can practically see in real-time the screen view of my kid’s Ipad. There’s no hiding place.
6. None of them have access to social media and they can’t install the app on their device.

As a father, I will not deny technological knowledge and exposure to my children but I’ve also taken measures to protect them online.

It’s a dangerous mistake to have your children online unmonitored. It’s also a dangerous mistake not to expose them to technology.

The key is: Find balance, supervise and monitor.”

Written by Ibeabuchi Odenigbo