The internet is a double-edged sword. It can educate or misinform your children. But you can always be in control.
On the bright side, your kids have educative resources at their fingertips. For example, National Geographic's website has a kids section that expands children's wildlife knowledge.
But it's not all butterflies and rainbows.
The internet exposes your kids to bullying, inappropriate content, fraud, and negative behavior.
In addition, kids are growing addicted to screens.
Children's screen time went up by about 500% during the pandemic. And their online gaming habits increased too.
In one study, 19% of boys and 7.8% of girls have developed an online gaming disorder.
If you're a concerned parent, this article will help.
You'll learn how to keep your children safe from the dangers of internet exposure and maintain parental control at all times, even when you're away from home.
5 Signs Your Child's Internet Habits Need Your Attention
Let's explore some telltale signs that you need to pay more attention to your child's internet habits.
1. Withdrawal from Social Life
Withdrawal is a major sign of internet danger. So, you may observe behavioral changes in your child who would usually spend time with family and friends, but have become more withdrawn, spending time online.
2. Spending Too Much Time Online
This point is pretty close to the first one. However, the child isn't withdrawing from social life.
S/he still has a social life but has started spending more time online than usual. If your child spends several hours online, you need to know what they spend that time on—ask them.
You want to be cautious here.
The kid might actually be learning healthy skills and practicing them. However, you need to know for sure what's going on when you notice this behavioral change.
3. Responsibility Avoidance
If your kid is relinquishing their responsibilities to spend time online, the sign is as clear as day—they're in danger.
Their internet habit has become an addiction. They have no time or emotional control and you need to find out what's going on.
4. Falling Grades and Performance
Children with failing grades usually have other things occupying their time. If your child is having academic difficulties while spending so much time online, then you need to monitor their habits.
5. Talking About Strangers
Notice if your child talks of interacting with strangers online. Ask them questions and for permission to witness their interaction with the stranger.
How Long Should Your Kids Spend Online?
Your kids can benefit from spending time online for education, entertainment, and communication.
However, these beneficial internet uses shouldn't become detrimental to your kids.
You can control their internet use by restricting their screen time and the content they consume online.
So, how much time should you allow?
The Center for Parenting Education suggests you apply these time controls to your kid's screen time:
- Zero to two years olds should have zero screen time
- Two to ten years olds may spend an hour online
- Allow two hours daily for kids ages ten to teenager.
However, you may lift this limit gradually as they grow older.
Educating Your Kids On What to Not Do on The Internet
Educate your kids about what's safe or not safe online. When they know the danger zones or see signs of harmful activities, they'll know what to do.
We've identified some guidelines you can apply with your children. Be gentle with them; tell them the reasons for these instructions and answer their questions.
- Obey the rules of the platform you are using. You might be banned or fall for scams if you don't.
- Don't share your private pictures with strangers.
- Don't tell strangers about your family. Also, don't give them any details like phone number, house address, school information, or the numbers on the cards of any family member.
- Don't tell strangers the password of anything.
- If anyone asks to meet you, say no and inform your parents.
Educating your kids is critical, but you shouldn't stop there.
Keep your children safe from forming unhealthy online habits. That's why you should set up screen time controls.
Enter the GVTC WiFi App. This GVTC solution helps you apply the time restrictions we discussed earlier so you can do better in this part of your parenting.
The GVTC WiFi App as an Internet Control Room
While the GVTC WiFi gives you a fast, reliable internet connection, the WiFi app helps you regulate how your kids access and use the internet.
The GVTC WiFi App is a single place to regulate how a household uses the internet. You can think of it as a control room for the internet in your home.
You can connect your devices, set up who has access, control how kids use the internet, and more. The app is available on the Apple store and Google play store.
Although the GVTC WiFi App does a lot more, this article will look at how to control the kids' internet usage on the app.
Set Up Parental Control in Your GVTC WiFi App
You have a couple of control options for your kid's WiFi usage. However, setting rules for kids won't always go as you planned. You need to recruit technology to help you.
If you already have a GVTC WiFi plan and the GVTC WiFi App, use this guide to control your kid's internet access and use without friction.
Set Up the GVTC WiFi App
First, set up the GVTC WiFi App using the steps below.
- Sign in to the app.
- Fill your details into it the form that pops up
- You'll receive an instruction to scan the QR code on the router.
- Alternatively, you can input the details on the router instead of scanning the QR code.
- Finally, configure the device using the device's name, SSID (Service Set Identifier), and the router's password.
All done?
Time to put your parental control in place.
Set Up Parental Control
You'll create a profile and connect your device. Follow these steps:
- Open the app
- Select the "+" sign to create a new profile
- Name the profile
- Connect the device you want to include in that profile
- Press "Submit."
That's it. You've created a profile.
Advanced Parental Control Features
These features allow you to add more elements to your GVTC WiFi App and also lets you manage the devices you linked to the app.
- Notice a pencil icon on the app, you can use it to add images
- The "II" icon allows you to disable every device connected to that profile.
- The "Play" icon brings back the disconnected devices.
- "Add device" allows you to add more devices to the profile.
- Remove a device using the "remove device" icon
Now you can control what happens and how your children access your WiFi.
Final Thoughts: GVTC WiFi App and Your Kid's Internet Usage
Having a reliable internet connection is as important as controlling access to it. What's the point in restricting an already poor internet service—its slow speed is a natural limitation.
GVTC's residential internet plans provide you with high-speed internet you can trust to deliver quality learning, entertainment, and communication experiences with your kids. And don't forget to install your GVTC WiFi App to protect your children from overexposure.
