What Every Parent Needs To Know About Safer Internet Day

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Thanks to Google and  Mom It Forward Influencer Network for sponsoring this post and helping us learn more about keeping our kids safe online with Safer Internet Day.

Trying to find both fun and effective ways to teach your kids about internet safety? That’s what Safer Internet Day is all about. Find out how it integrates Google’s Be Internet Awesome program into a valuable tool for helping kids learn online responsibility.

Like most kids, my girls love their computers, smart phones and anything else that gives them access to the internet.

Sometimes they go online to do homework and other educational activities and sometimes it’s all just for fun. Spending time online is an everyday activity in my house, which is why internet safety is so important to me. 

What Is Safer Internet Day

That’s why I’m excited to take part in Safer Internet Day. The slogan is “Together For A Better Internet” and the goal is to make families come together to make a better internet for everybody, especially children. Not only does it encourage us to have discussions about healthy online habits but there are apps and programs that can help too.

One tool that I’ve found really helpful is Google’s Be Internet Awesome. It’s great for helping kids learn to make smart decisions when they’re online. I’ve been working on teaching my own girls internet safety and this makes it so easy!

5 Ways To Be Internet Awesome

There are five important keys to Be Internet Awesome, each one focusing on a different area of online safety. Whether it’s keeping personal information private or practicing online kindness, these are all important topics to discuss with our children.

• Be Internet Smart: Share with care  This focuses on communication online, such as what to share, what not to share, and treating online communication like it’s face-to-face.
• Be Internet Alert: Don’t Fall for Fake  Children need to know how to treat online situations and learn how to decipher what’s real and what isn’t.
• Be Internet Strong: Secure Your Secrets  Children need to learn that privacy and security are every bit as important on the internet as they are in the real world. Sharing certain information online can be damaging and helps them learn how to keep their information safe and secure.
• Be Internet Kind: It’s Cool to Be Kind  I’ve raised my girls to be kind and treat others as they’d want to be treated. Be Internet Awesome teaches them that it’s just as important to practice kindness online too. If we all work together, we can tackle cyberbullying and help create a more positive online environment for our kids.  
• Be Internet Brave: When in Doubt, Talk It Out  This is just what it sounds like. We want to create a nurturing environment where kids can feel comfortable sharing concerns or questions with adults they trust. 

Learning Internet Safety Through Play

Another great feature of Be Internet Awesome is Interland. This fun game lets kids test their knowledge of internet safety. What better way to get a child’s attention than through video games, right? This game teaches important lessons about how kids can be safe on the internet, while having fun at the same time.

Parents can download a family guide for hosting online safety discussions at home, whether it’s setting limits on screen time or getting approval to download apps. There’s even a pledge that can be printed and signed by all family members, promising to practice what they’ve learned about internet safety.

How Kids Can Learn Internet Safety At School

Even your child’s school can take part! Not only are there great resources for parents but there are lots of educational tools for teachers as well. The Be Internet Awesome curriculum helps educators teach digital safety in the classroom. Google has developed these materials in partnership with iKeepSafe. There are even lesson plans making it easy for educators to teach the five levels of Be Internet Awesome.

I thought I was showing Ashling something new when I pulled up Interland for her to play but it turns out that her teacher had already introduced it to the class at school. She was so excited to learn that she could play it at home too. I was happy to find out that her teacher was already teaching internet safety in the classroom.

Internet safety and responsibility is an ongoing discussion we should all be having with our children. Luckily, we have Be Internet Awesome and Safer Internet Day to start forging those paths at home and at school.

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The post What Every Parent Needs To Know About Safer Internet Day appeared first on Fun Money Mom.

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