Safer Internet Day

Inter­net Mat­ters is a bril­liant resource for par­ents look­ing to set up parental con­trols. Did you know that these con­trols go beyond just social media and search engines? You can also set restric­tions on plat­forms like Ama­zon, smart­phones, Win­dows, mobile net­works and gam­ing con­soles. This web­site pro­vides step-by-step guides to help you pro­tect your child no mat­ter what device they use.

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If you’ve ever stressed over whether a movie, TV show or app is appro­pri­ate for your child, Com­mon Sense Media is a life­saver. I love it, because it is for par­ents who stress when it comes to the appro­pri­ate age for watch­ing a movie and I am one of these par­ents. For exam­ple, Paw Patrol and Frozen 2 are now played in cin­e­mas and their cer­tifi­cate guid­ance is U. The U sym­bol stands for uni­ver­sal and it is suit­able for audi­ences aged four years and over. If you check this web­site, you will see that the age rec­om­men­da­tion is dif­fer­ent. They rec­om­mend Paw Patrol for chil­dren over 3, while Frozen 2 for chil­dren over 6. Scroll down after you choose a movie and you will find detailed insights about the con­tent, help­ing you make an informed deci­sion.

Plugged In reviews movies, videos, music, TV shows and games. While movies receive con­tent cau­tion rat­ings for kids, teens and adults, oth­er cat­e­gories pro­vide detailed con­tent descrip­tions, allow­ing par­ents to make informed deci­sions.

Do you agree with the age rat­ings on plat­forms like social media apps and games? Per­son­al­ly, I feel that the 13+ age rat­ing for plat­forms like Insta­gram may not be appro­pri­ate, giv­en the risks of expo­sure to bul­ly­ing, inap­pro­pri­ate con­tent and the pres­sures of social media. What are your thoughts on this mat­ter? Leave a com­ment below.

Stay safe online and let’s keep our children’s dig­i­tal world secure and pos­i­tive.