Parenting in the modern world comes with its fair share of adventures – from those first baby steps to navigating the teenage years. As your little ones grow up in this digital age, they’ll naturally want to explore the vast online world. However, anyone who has spent any time on the internet knows how terrifying that thought can be. While teaching your children about responsible internet use is crucial, there is only so much you can expect from them. Kids are natural explorers, and the internet can just look like one big playground to them. So it’s up to us to understand the digital spaces our children inhabit, and put in the right safety rails to help stop them from getting hurt (or seeing anything inappropriate).
The first, most essential step you must take to help boost your family’s online safety is investing in a robust security suite. While basic tools such as antivirus are useful, there are plenty of other tools within a cybersecurity suite that you can take advantage of to help keep your household safe online. Such as masking your children’s location data with a VPN, scanning the dark web for any exposed information, or backing up sensitive documents or family photos in an encrypted vault.
The always-connected generation
Today’s kids are growing up in a world where being online is as natural as breathing. While previous generations might have spent hours chatting on landlines or flipping through magazines, today’s kids are more likely to be found huddled around their smartphones, tablets, or computers. And although they’re digitally native, kids are still learning cyber safety best practices, so it’s essential to have a strong line of defence against potential threats. And with so many different types of devices within the one household (Windows, Mac, iOS and Android), you may need to find a solution that is “one size fits all”.
Staying ahead of the game
Unfortunately, it’s not enough to just throw money at the problem, purchase some software, and call it a day. It’s also important to educate yourself on the safest ways to live and work online. If you want your children to browse the web safely, you need to lead by example. Learn how to recognise scams on Facebook Marketplace, make sure your router is set up correctly, and pass down this wisdom. You can’t expect your kids to understand online safety if you can’t explain it to them.
Choosing the right tools
When it comes to picking the right cybersecurity suite for your family, there are literally hundreds of options to choose from. Do you still need antivirus? Do you need a VPN? What is ransomware? These are questions which can be overwhelming and lead people to throw their hands up in the air and give up. It doesn’t have to be too hard though. PCMag produces our own annual list of the best antivirus software and security suites, and a regular top contender is Norton 360 Deluxe.
Norton 360 Deluxe also provides award-winning antivirus for your devices, and various other features including a Password Manager, Parental Controls, Dark Web Monitoring, Cloud Backup for Windows PC, and more. It regularly performs well in our in-house lab testing, and comes from Norton – a 56 time winner of PCMag’s Editors’ Choice. You can check out our complete review here.
Mashable Light Speed
Parental control: A helping hand
As children start to spread their digital wings, many parents want to keep a watchful eye on their online activities. This is where family-oriented security suites come in handy. For example, Norton 360 Deluxe includes parental control tools¹ that help you to filter out inappropriate content, set screen time limits, and even monitor online activity remotely. This helps allow you to create a safer environment for your children online, enabling them to enjoy the internet without you constantly having to look over their shoulder. With Norton Parental Control, you can see your child’s search terms, viewed videos², browsing history, and set restrictions in real time from your phone (a school holiday game changer).
While a Norton 360 Deluxe subscription includes protection for 3 devices, as your family grows, you can also expand your protection with Norton 360 Premium. This will provide protection and parental control for up to 5 devices.
Building good habits for the future
The internet is here to stay, and its role in our lives is only going to grow. By prioritising cybersecurity in your household, you’re not just protecting your family now – you’re also teaching your children valuable habits for the future. Best practice starts at home. Teaching your kids the basics: regular software updates, using strong passwords, and recognising potential online threats are all skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.
Remember, staying safe online is a team effort. By combining a reliable security suite with open conversations about internet safety, you’re helping set your family up for a positive and secure digital future. After all, the online world can be a wonderful place for creativity and learning, and as a way to connect with other like-minded people and distant loved ones. But it can also be a scary place, and having the right tools, and the right protection, will help ensure that your family stays safe as we move into an increasingly connected world. Check out more online safety tips here.
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¹ Parental Control features are not supported on Mac or Windows in S mode.
² Monitors videos viewed on YouTube.com (but not YouTube videos embedded in other websites or blogs). It does not work with the YouTube app.