Internet Safety: How to Protect Your Family

The internet has completely changed the way we live and relate to one another. 

The internet has changed homeschooling for our family. My older kids did not go online much until college, while the younger ones spent their teen years in a world of social networking and Wikipedia.

Young people today email, chat with friends through instant messenger, talk to people in chat rooms, play games, create blogs, create YouTube stations, create websites, and surf the net. They research online and build relationships online. 

There is so much at our fingertips today with just a click of the mouse. We can read classic literature, look up how a senator voted, get the latest news, and read our favorite blog. 

Yet, is the internet a safe place? 

​I am sorry to tell you that the internet can be a dangerous place, too. We must protect our children from the criminal and evil activity that takes place online.

We need to protect our children from the following things: 

• Exposure to pornography and other inappropriate materials
• Online Predators
• Sharing too much personal information. 

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How Can We Protect Our Children?

Sit down and have a frank talk with your children about the internet as a blessing and a source of danger. Have them tell you what they like to do online and where they like to go. 

Keep computers in a high-traffic area of your home--NEVER behind closed doors. When you child is on the computer, pop in and out the room, noticing what's on the screen. 

Limit phone, Kindle, I-pad, and laptop usage the same way. Some families have everything turn gadgets into a basket before retiring to bed for the night. 

Monitor your child's social network pages and conversations. Give input if you are concerned. 

Use internet filtering. Covenant Eyes is one blocking system that limits what you or your child can look at or visit online. Learn more here.

Use internet monitoring and accountability. You can set up Covenant Eyes to send you reports. Visits to inappropriate sites will be flagged and a report sent to parents. I have seen this system help people who are struggling to be free from pornography. Learn about Accountability Reports here.

The bottom line, though, is that you must win your child's heart.

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Resources for the Heart

The most important way to keep your children safe on the internet is to impart to them a vibrant faith in and love for Jesus Christ. 

I spend time with my children and so does my husband. We love on them, mentor them, cheer them on, and listen to their hearts. If I want to pass on my faith, I must be a big part of their lives. 

We memorize I Thessalonians 4:1-12 in our home. It is a great passage on purity. 

Another thing we do is go through Bible studies and classes on purity and God's heart for marriage and relationships. This has been a foundation builder in our children's lives. You can look at our resources at PowerlineProd.com or click on the photos below. 

As you strive to keep your children safe, don't forget to pray and build that strong relationship. God is with you! The Lord is for you and if He is for you, who can be against you? (See Romans 8)

In the Journey with you, 
​Meredith Curtis

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