Let's Stay Safe Out There This Summer - Oh, Hey; Here are 4 Apps to Help!

As the school days come to an end for the year, kids are celebrating the beginning of a couple of months away from the classroom. With more time on their hands, they are bound to dive even further into their favourite websites, apps, and video games. While there are plenty of educational resources in the online space, there are also many potential dangers. To kick off these precious warm-weather weeks, now is the time for parents to talk to their children about online privacy and security.

Here are a four tech tools that can help.

1. Kidslox for Screentime Management

(iOS, Android, Windows) - $9.99

For web-savvy kids at home, limiting screen time is a necessity. While a lot of children will respect boundaries, there are plenty of sons and daughters who need their parents to take control of the tech situation at home. With Kidslox, you can easily control how much time your child is spending on apps or websites or games, such as Minecraft. You can also set schedules so devices are blocked from the Internet during mealtime, bedtime, or any other point in the day. There are three modes to choose from, including Parent Mode (unrestricted online access), Child Mode (custom online restrictions), and Lockdown Mode (full online restrictions).

2. Try VISR for Social Monitoring

(iOS, Android) - Free

For your pre-teens and teens, VISR makes it easy to monitor their accounts without obsessing over them 24-7. Instead of having to do all the digital digging, the app does it for you. In fact, not only does this download scan text, it also scans images. If it ‘sees’ bullying behavior, inappropriate content, sexting, or mental health concerns (among a number of other categories), it will send you an alert. These notifications get smarter over time. As the company explains, it provides inside without intrusion. Currently, this tool supports Gmail, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Pinterest.

3. Download YouTube Kids for Family-Friendly Videos

(iOS, Android) - Free

YouTube can be a bit of a minefield in terms of sexually explicit videos and excessive online bullying. While your teens will insist on using the original app, YouTube Kids is an excellent download for your grade school kids (and younger). This PG app includes all the characters and shows your children already love, such as Stampylonghead and Sesame Street. Will your preschooler stumble upon a hostile first-person LEGO shoot-out? Nope, not in this safe environment. Videos you’ll find here are split into four categories: Shows, Music, Learning, and Explore. In short, this is a stress-free way for the whole family to enjoy fabulous YouTube content.

4. Create a Family Contract for Online Safety

While it might seem like you’ve shared the house Internet rules a million times, they are easily disputed if they are not front and centre in a common place in the home. Check out the SafeKids website to get a family contract template that both you and your kids must sign. There are a number of free documents here, such as the Kids Pledge (for children under 10), the Teens Pledge (for teens and older pre-teens), and the Parents’ Pledge. Creating an online safety pledge will take less than 30 minutes, but could prevent months (or even years!) of arguments.

Amber Mac is the co-author of Outsmarting Your Kids Online, a safety handbook for overwhelmed parents that is now available on Amazon.ca.