It’s that time of year! We debate which new phone, laptop, computer, gaming console, or other device to get the kids, grandkids, or nieces and nephews. When you pick up that shiny new device, you may want to consider how you’ll protect them from online threats.
While many websites make considerable efforts to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content, far more don’t. Among the ones that make efforts, a simple agreement that you’re above a certain age is all that’s required to gain access. This means a 12 year old can claim they’re 18 and access an age inappropriate game or video. The lack of any real control has prompted many countries to enact age verification laws like the Online Safety Act in the UK, and Australia has gone as far as banning social media.
While laws and bans can be helpful, added protection and supervision are a must. Still, you can’t be watching their screen every second, which is why taking preventative steps is crucial to keeping your peace of mind after you hand them that shiny new device this holiday season.
1. Use trusted parental control tools
You don’t have to navigate the world of protecting your child online alone. Parental control tools are an excellent addition to educating your children. You know, for when they conveniently forget the rules because their friends play that game and it’s ‘not that bad’.
Here are a few of the most trusted parental control tools, what they do to keep children as safe as possible, and what they do to keep you in the loop.
2. Set up a router VPN that allows parental controls
When you set up a router VPN, your kids can’t shut it off or easily avoid blocking and protection measures while using your home network. Using a router VPN isn’t better or worse than using other parental control tools, in fact combining one with other tools can only increase the safety of your child's connection.
These routers can be used with parental control apps and existing onboard protection features for devices, to ensure every base you can take to protect your kids online is covered. One of the best router VPNs is Aircove from ExpressVPN. Aircove includes a detailed dashboard that can assign different settings to different devices. The best part? It's a bit expensive right off the bat, with prices starting from $160, but it comes with 6 months of VPN coverage from ExpressVPN, a trusted provider with years of experience in protecting online privacy and security. The router itself is also a one time charge, which makes the price tag easier to swallow.
You can learn more about ExpressVPN’s specific privacy and security tools in our ExpressVPN review, and a Tom’s Guide reader discounted subscription as an added gift this holiday season.
3. Educate them about their digital footprint and privacy
One in three internet users is between 3-17 years old. The issue, as mentioned above, is that a majority of online content is geared toward adults, and inadequate or unused security and privacy tools on devices, apps, social media, gaming, and video platforms are common.
Worse yet, most kids aren’t thinking about what they say or post online, how sharing their location constantly may alert predators, or how their browsing habits forward third-party advertising and affect the content they’ll see in the future. Even after posts, images, and other content are deleted, they often sit in a trash bin for up to 30 days.
Let’s be honest, it’s never really gone-gone, pieces of it may still be stored by the platform or website to make suggestions for content or services. With more than 800 million children using social media, that’ s an issue that can’t be addressed enough
Have candid conversations about how your kids can protect themselves outside of what you do to keep them safe, including giving them information on:
- Keeping social media profiles set to friends only or private
- Rejecting notification requests and cookies
- Never clicking random links in emails, texts, or websites
- Only downloading apps from the app creator's website or their device's app store
- Never respond to private messages from strangers on social media and gaming platforms
Make it clear they should only share what they feel comfortable with everyone knowing, and anything they wouldn’t do offline definitely shouldn’t be done online.
4. Discuss and agree any limits and restrictions with the kids
No one likes being forced to do something, and part of what is so attractive about the internet is the surplus of information, activities, and freedom it provides; especially for teens. Let them know that you are always a safe place to turn for questions and these tools aren’t a punishment.
Ask them to think of parental control tools as training wheels for the internet. The internet is an adult thing that children are having to learn to navigate safely, just like riding a bike. These tools help, but children still need your guidance to know how important it is to stop at stop signs, avoid strangers, safe areas to visit, and when to pump the brakes and take a rest. When they are ready to ride the waves of the internet alone, you can cut restrictions back knowing you prepared them the best you could.
Kids are more likely to come to you and ask if they can download an app and offer their reasoning for why they think it’s safe if they know you always have an open door. Just like they eventually asked you if they could ride around the block or to a friend's house when they were more comfortable and knew the rules and safety precautions.
5. Require verification for app purchases
One last tip: Set up purchase verification on all device platform app stores. Take it from an Aunt who forgot to do so and ended up with a $20 charge for credits on a match-three app (that she graciously let her 8-year-old nephew play). You’ll thank yourself later when your mobile bill or bank account hasn’t taken a devastating hit.
Here’s how to do it on all major platforms:
iPhone
- Click on the Settings icon and tap on Screen Time
- Choose Content & Privacy Restriction and select Enable Restrictions
- Tap iTunes and App Store Purchases, select In App Purchases, and tap Don’t allow
- Set a Screen Time passcode for security so the child can’t change the setting
Android
- Open the Playstore app and tap Settings
- Select Payments and subscriptions and tap on Payment verification
- Set Up password or biometric verification for all purchases (Pro tip: It's harder for them to get your fingerprint then figure out a password)
- Tap Verification frequency and set to always then tap OK
macOS
- Click on the Apple menu and select System Settings
- Choose Screen Time from the menu and click the Family Member pop-up menu to choose the child you want to restrict
- Select Content & Privacy then click Store Restrictions
- Click on Allowed on iOS and Require a password for making purchases
- Set your password and select Always
Windows
- Open the Microsoft Store app and click on the profile icon
- Select App Setting (or Settings) and find Purchase sign-in
- Turn off Purchase without passcode (may be worded slightly different depending on your OS version)
- Sign in and verify the change then log out
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
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