Sentry Parental Controls' 10 Top Tips for Parents...

Installing parental control software isn't the only thing that you as a parent can do to safeguard your child's Internet experience. Read our ten top tips to ensure your child is kept that little bit safer:

1) Use parental control software like Sentry Parental Controls to filter, protect and block as well as monitor your child's activity in real time - having your home PC protected is the absolute first step to take to make your child safe online.

2) Have your child's computer in a communal area like the living room, not the bedroom

3) Have an open, honest relationship with your child when it comes to things online - be interested in what they are doing and they will be interested in sharing things back with you. Try to understand what it is they are looking at on the Internet and what motivates them to do so

4) Don't go overboard ? if you 'come down too hard' on your child they are going to be less likely to share things with you which could lead them to keep their online life a secret

5) Ensure that your child knows not to give out any personal information online . Those that don't understand how dangerous it can be to give out real names, addresses and date of birth, need to be educated on the dangers while not scaring them and discouraging them from using the internet

6) Set boundaries and rewards for your child - if they do an hour of homework, they are allowed 15 minutes on their favourite website!

7) For younger children, perhaps play a game that will help them to understand the difference between chatting with friends and strangers online and issues like bullying . This will help to get key information to your child whilst making it fun

8) Make going on the computer with your child something that you do together as quality family time - the more you do this, the more they will be encouraged to surf the net with you involved

9) Set up a family email address that the whole family can use to sign up to websites. It will help you have more control over what they are signing up to, plus prevent your child?s personal details being used

10) Introduce your children to websites that you think they might find fun, or useful for homework - it will encourage them to use these sites and search less, reducing the chance of them finding inappropriate websites on their own