Controlling Screen Time for a Healthier Internet Experience

With access to the internet comes the potential for kids to be exposed to its inappropriate content as well. Given the pandemic-induced increase in time spent accessing the web, exposure to the darker sides has increased jointly. Today, 70%, the vast majority of children, have unintentionally beheld this harmful internet content through too much screen time.

With new tools, you can establish and maintain safe internet browning for your young loved ones. This starts by understanding how exposure to the internet’s mature content occurs. As many as 4 in 10 kids, who have come across pornographic material unintentionally, were directed to it via searches with open-ended words and phrases. With gaming on the rise, young gamers, predominantly boys, are presented with violent and/or sexual matter while playing online games intended for adults.

Encourage the development of healthy internet habits to prevent exposure to indecent content. Walk young internet users through the process of blocking and reporting harassing users, content, or flagging inappropriate behavior. Establish a designated device charging area in your home where mobile devices rest together and live disconnected from them. Set a nightly technology shut-down time for the whole family, that each member participates in and abides by. Lastly, give bigger devices, like gaming systems and computers, a central spot to rest and wind down too.

By adjusting habits and monitoring what kids can (intentionally or unintentionally) access online, you and yours can once again appreciate the internet through healthy interactions and avoid the darker content that taints it.

Learn more about setting responsible screen time limits in the infographic below:

This Is Your Mind Online: What Unlimited Screen Time Does To Kids
Source: Canopy.us