“Mom, can I get on the computer to do my school work?” asks my five year old each Saturday and Sunday. As part of her school curriculum math and reading lessons take place both online and in the classroom. Even as little as a decade ago this question wouldn’t have even been thought of by a kindergartner but in today’s digital world children are forming relationships with the internet at as increasingly earlier age. On one hand, the internet has so much to offer. It’s reach is vast, the knowledge contained within is even more expansive yet. On the other, it’s vastness also contains content not suitable for our kids.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Torch.
So how do we keep them safe? That is question of the day. It begins with a conversation. We need to talk to our children about internet safety, stranger danger, and related issues. Our children must understand these topics so that they understand why we have rules in place.
A few good rules to have in place include:
- Establish Time limits.
- A list of websites, services and apps that are off limits.
- The same stranger danger rules that apply in real life also apply online.
Never friend anyone you don’t already know and don’t give strangers details like your full name, address or where you attend school.
Despite our rules and conversations it’s still possible that our children will make bad choices. We can still empower our kids to explore the Internet safely and become good digital citizens; while keep them safe, with products like Torch. Torch is a router with simple parental tools. They are content filtering, limiting usage during certain times and reporting (what your kids are doing and where).
What’s unique about their time keeping service is that it’s totally customizable. Unlike many services that only allow you to set a time period, Torch allows you to do things like Pause, so your kids can step away for dinner, sports practice etc without using their remaining time. Torch also allows parents to set individual internet “bedtimes” for each child. Additionally, the service offers a complete history of where your child went and when, plus it offers details on the website.
In short, Torch allows kids a safe way to explore the internet and learn while providing mom and dad peace of mind. Because it’s services are connected through a router, setting limits and track usages on your kids tablets and smartphones as well as their computers has never been easier.
Sign up to receive more information on the Torch website.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Torch.
Anything that provides a safety net is good. It’s so hard to cover everything and so important to try.
This looks awesome. There are so many things on the net that children can inadvertently get into that are not safe.
I have an app called screen time and it really helps keep my kids safe on their tablets and puts time limits on their devices. I love it.
I need this for my computer at home. I have been scared to let my son online. To many bad things out there.
This sounds like a cool service. I will look more into this.