Guide
How do you childproof the Internet?
by Aurel Stevens
Every fourth child surfs daily
8.10.2019
Translation: machine translated
Half of all children in Switzerland between the ages of 1 and 13 use the internet. One in four children under the age of 14 even surfs daily. These are the findings of a study by Net-Metrix.
About 15 per cent of young children up to the age of four are online from time to time. They explore the internet, listen to music or watch videos. Kindergarten and primary school children aged five to nine use the internet at 53 per cent. For teenagers, we are already talking about 91 per cent. Of these, every fourth child surfs daily or almost daily. However, usage increases with age. Ten per cent of 8-year-olds, 39 per cent of 9 to 11-year-olds and 73 per cent of 12 to 13-year-olds are online every day.
This data was collected from around 1,500 children as part of the "NET-Metrix-Base Trend" study. Almost 4,000 people responded to this online survey about how their children use the internet. These are parents who seem to know how their children use the internet. But do you also know when and for how long your child is surfing? Are they just doing homework or are they surfing other sites? If so, which ones?
The study shows that 67 per cent of children primarily stream media content. In other words, they watch videos or TV programmes online or listen to music. 52 per cent of young internet users research on search engines and just under half still use online games such as Fortnite and the like. So it's worth taking a closer look at what your child is up to.
Awareness of the dangers
You know that the internet offers endless knowledge and unlimited possibilities. However, its use also harbours dangers. Children in particular are not aware of these dangers. By surfing without hesitation, they quickly end up on dodgy sites. They are confronted with unsuitable content such as violent scenes, pornographic images or inflammatory content. In addition, they often carelessly disclose their personal data on social media. Names, telephone numbers, email addresses or even home addresses are unintentionally passed on to strangers. Rip-offs, violations of personal rights and bullying are further dangers. And most importantly: the internet forgets nothing! Possible youthful sins can also haunt you later in life.
How to keep your child safe online
There's nothing wrong with using the internet. Not even at a young age. But make sure your child is properly informed about the possibilities and limits of the online world. You can minimise the dangers with these tips:
- Keep your anonymity and reveal little about yourself
- Use a nickname or fantasy name
- Use a meaningless email address for online activities
- Do not trust anyone on the Internet
- Do not publish personal photos or videos
- Only post appropriate comments (don't be malicious, offensive or racist)
- Do not bully anyone
- Do not infringe copyright
- Search only known sites
- Be critical
- Discuss it with a trusted person if something seems suspicious
At the beginning in particular, it is worth accompanying your child when surfing. Fixed internet times are helpful to limit consumption. Try to make them realise that there is also a life outside the digital world. In other words, they should also pursue other hobbies.
Restrict access
Proactively or if consumption gets out of hand, it is worth purchasing one of the many parental control programmes on the internet. This allows you to grant your child access only to verified Internet content and decide for yourself what your child is allowed to see and when. Aurel has already explained more about this topic:
I’m the cook, cleaner, police officer, nurse, entertainer, motivator, author, storyteller, coach, organiser, chauffeur, lawyer and judge. To put it simply, I’m a mum to a daughter and not just a (Content) Manager at the office but also at home.
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