Laptops are quickly becoming an essential learning tool, even in elementary schools. Laptops open a portable door to the Internet, which contains information on just about anything your child needs to learn, as well as serve as a social and entertainment tool. However, laptops can give children access to more dangerous sides of the Internet, including areas you would rather they not be exposed to, such as pornography and violence. You can take several approaches to monitoring your child's laptop usage.
Step 1
Keep the laptop with you and let your children use it only when you are present. By allowing your children to use the laptop only while you are in the room, they will be less likely to try to get on sites or into chat rooms that you do not want them to view.
Step 2
Set up an administrator password so you can monitor their actions on the computer. Most computers allow you to set up different users by accessing the control panel or control options. You can set up an administrator account for yourself, as well as a separate account for your child, allowing you to block access to certain areas using your administrator password. You can also limit the time your children spend on the laptop by putting a timer on their account.
Step 3
Download an Internet filter program that allows you to control what your child can access while online. Many Internet filter programs are available that block out certain websites using keywords or databases of inappropriate sites. These filters can often block peer-to-peer programs and chat rooms. Some filters give you additional tools such as Internet monitoring, which lets you view the sites that have been visited; alerts that can be sent to your email if your child tries to access an unapproved site; and even timers to limit Internet use.
Step 4
Educate your children on the dangers of the Internet and set down rules for what you expect of them as they use the laptop. Also lay out the consequences for breaking these rules.
Things You'll Need
- Internet filter
