While I don’t have children, I do have a cluster of awesome nieces and nephews. I care about them immensely and think they are possibly the greatest kids in the world. That being said, I often wonder about their online safety especially because I spend my time immersed in the world of technology and social media space. I remember the first time I saw one of my nephews post a little too much information about his girlfriend. I called his mother right away only to be told that I was being a big mother hen and needed to calm down. This post is my opportunity to prove that I wasn’t too far out of line in sharing my concerns.
In a recent survey conducted on behalf of Microsoft Windows, we found out that:
- 77% of parents don’t use or are unaware of the full suite of tools or software available to keep children safe online.
- Yet, 92% of parents are concerned about their child’s safety online.
- Meanwhile, 96% of parents believe technology is important to their child’s academic success.
Being good parents, this means that you know your children need to be online to succeed and want to ensure they stay safe – yet parents are not always aware of the technological tools available to protect their kids online.
Our online safety expert, Monica Villa of The Online Mom, is working with Windows and will be speaking with parents and news anchors all over the country this month to share how easy it is to keep your kids safe online while giving them freedom to access the technology they need. In fact, she often addresses how safety comes from open communicative relationships and how technology can play a strong role in keeping families communicating wherever they may be. Check out her site for guidance and tips on keeping your children safe and happy.
If you’d like to ask Monica questions in person, please join her and the Windows team for our Tech Tuesday Live Twitter Chat #win7tech about online safety from 3-4pm ET/ 12-1pm PT tomorrow and follow the hashtag #win7tech. You can also take a few moments to check out the Windows tool for keeping your family safe. Called Windows Live Family Safety, it’s a website and a free application that you install on the PC your kids use, so you can give them some independence but still keep tabs on their computer activities. The application filters sites on the web, provides contact management, activity reports, time restrictions, game restrictions and program restrictions. Find out more here and help your kids stay safe as they head back to school.