Mumsnet users share how you safeguard your children around digital technology in the home with Sky Kids

[EllieMumsnet]

This activity is now closed

In this digital age devices such as: laptops, mobiles, tablets, game consoles and TV's all come second nature to many of our children as they are used frequently from a young age in the home. Although they can help children learn and play in so many amazing ways, it’s also important to keep them safe and ensure what they are viewing/playing is appropriate. With that in mind Sky Kids would love to know all the ways you try to keep your children safe when it comes to technology in the home and how you still allow a healthy/fun relationship with technology in your family.

Here’s what Sky Kids has to say: “At Sky, we care about helping to keep kids safe in the home. That’s why alongside parental controls on the Sky Kids App, we’ve also launched brand new Kids Safe Mode, where you can keep your Sky Q box locked in the Kids section, so when your kids are in charge of the remote they can only see and explore programmes that are appropriate for them. Wandering fingers won’t be able to adjust settings, delete non-Kids recordings or watch programmes made for grown-ups.”

Do you have timers on all the family’s devices to ensure that the children aren’t able to use them past a certain time? What about parental controls on your television? Or do you have kids safety modes on all the devices they use? Do you worry about what they’re able to access from their devices? Perhaps you encourage an open relationship with your children where you can all ensure everyone is watching age appropriate content/shows? Or maybe you use children specific apps on their phones, smart TVs or tablets so that you are sure they can only access things suitable for them?

Whatever the ways you keep your children safe when it comes to multimedia, share them on the thread below and everyone will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw.
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

My DC use kindles with parental controls on and we regularly check what they are using but I think the best way to keep DC safe is to talk to them about why you have certain rules, make sure they know how to deal with any strange pop ups etc and make sure they know they can talk to you about any concerns/anything that happens.

DS is still quite young, so he doesn't have his own tech yet. We don't have a telly, so when he wants to watch a film or some netflix he has to ask one of us to set the laptop up for him.
He's only just started using my phone to play 'reading eggs', but we sit together to do that so he's always supervised.

He's starting school in September and we're considering whether it would be appropriate/helpful for him to get a tablet at Christmas. If we do, it'll be a kids version with parental controls and we'll choose the apps etc that are downloaded. And again, supervision is key.

As he gets older then we'll have discussions about internet safety as well as our expectations for his conduct should he be allowed access to tech. I know to a large extent it'll come down to trust, but we'll cross those bridges when we get to them!

This is a tricky one as obviously there was no technology like this when I was a child myself so it’s unchartered territory, but my son has a tablet which he is allowed to go on YouTube on, but not the internet and it has parental controls on, I won’t allow him to play on fortnite or roblox where you can get contacted by strangers and there’s no way he’s having any social media until he is 35!

Dont forget to talk openly with your children about risks and appropriate internet usage.
We also only have one tv in the house which will always be loosely supervised at least and kids can use netflix but only want to use the kids version. Tablet only for long car journeys - no internet access only downloaded aps and games.

By having a password on tablet, so they can't install random apps

no computer usage after 8pm

Parental control on the iPad is a must and also not too time spend online as I feel this can be detrimental to a child

My kids are only allowed access to gadgets in communal areas of the house - not their bedrooms. Just so I can keep an eye on them as I milling about & passing through.

I also spot check my 12 year olds phone - so I can see what he has been doing on there.

Most importantly, I have drilled into them the potential dangers of the internet and strangers out there - not to scare them - just because they need to know that online, all may not be as it seems!

Olivia is too young to use technology but there are parental controls on the television

Not massively impressed by Sky today.

My 3 year old was watching Moomins and an advert for the Adnan Syed doc came on! Talking about murder etc etc! Sky are 'looking into it'

Seriously thinking about cancelling my subscription!!

All the technology is in the sitting room so fan only be used under supervision.

Use content filters and monitor screen time.

our DCs are older and we no longer filter an monitor their screen and internet usage. we did restrict an control when they were younger.

Screens only used in communal rooms and spots checks on usage. We try to encourage other activities wherever possible too.

We use all the available accessories, parental controls anti virus etc and talk openly and honestly about internet safety and acceptable behavior

I have stopped my two year old from watching Youtube on the Ipad so she is only allowed to watch Kids Netflix and Cbeebies and we supervise her when she is watching the Ipad.

My five year old son has limited time on his devices, I make sure I monitor him while he's watching his device or tv.. and when he insists on using his Playstation or watching YouTube, I watch it with him and make it fun! Like saying show me how this works or tell me all about this video/game. Or mummy doesn't know how to do this, can you show me? He only plays age appropriate games and I try to sneak in educational apps too!

Supervised screen time and keep them off YouTube, the adverts on there are ridiculous. Why while watching a kiddie program would a horror film advertisment come up!?

My son uses kids Youtube but we regularly check what he is watching and look at his 'history' list. He has his own account but it is set to private. He doesn't have a mobile phone yet or gaming device but I still worry that we should be doing more to protect him.

Kids are now 17 and 14.
No TV in rooms until senior school.
We had a pin code on the film channel when they were younger.
Nothing else apart from telling them the dangers and that I trust them.

Supervision and parental controls work for us.

We only have 1 TV in the house, so I'm always watching whatever they are socan make sure it's nothing inappropriate.

We have 5 DC aged between 5-17, so it's tricky. We are Sky customers though and use Broadband Shield, which is great. They all have Kindle Fire tablets which are password protected and I've recently redone all the parental controls for the littlest one as I wasn't happy with the stuff she was watching on YouTube.

I have always used stair gates top and bottom of stairs and as a must on kitchen as hate kids running round peoples kitchens whilst they're cooking etc and I've never allowed kids in there at all as I view kitchen as most dangerous room in the house. I always had a gate on the back door so that in the summer you can have the back door open but kids can't get into garden if you don't want them to.
Even as my kids all got older and could open the gates I still left them up for when friends would come round with their kids as always thought if I cared enough to keep my kids safe it was only right to ensure my friends kids were also safe whilst in my house and was only as their kids got older that I finally took gates down with kitchen one being the last.lol.
For a while even had a gate put across my upstairs hallway to separate the front bedrooms from the back as older kids would go mad if youngest kids would wake them up or go into their rooms and mess it up.lol.
Have never allowed kids to get into my bed as with 8 kids there's only so much room in my bed so saw it as fair that wouldn't have any in there then there's no arguments.lol.
Instead of the socket covers I used the boxes you can buy to go over the whole plug front and stop plugs being unplugged or turned off and kids never really bothered with them even as babies which was a bonus as last thing you want is things turned off that need to be on esp if it's a tumble drier full of washing you need dried.lol.
Have always had all tellys on the walls rather than on stands as viewed it as safer and less chance of banging into unit and telly falling over onto kids especially in a busy house like mine.
I also put all the shampoos, shower gels etc in pump action bottles so kids knew how many pumps they could use as would end up going through loads when used to pour onto their hands to use it and would end up with a bath full of all the shower gels etc. And I even got the wall mounted pump bottles filled with anti bac gel upstairs and down by kitchen to sanitise their hands rather than flooding my house like my eldest did when washing her hands in the bathroom, a flannel had ended up in the sink and she'd forgotten to turn the tap off and sink filled up and flooded upstairs and we didn't notice until was pouring through my ceiling and down the walls, soon learnt to keep flannels out the sink and to double check taps were off after kids had been upstairs after that.lol.
My hallway bannister it slatted lengthways and as kids love to climb I put hardboard across it so it is now a plain sided bit at top of stairs on one side to stop kids climbing on it and head first down the stairs.
Got 2 cloth shoe racks and out on either side of shoe cupboard and one side is for trainers etc and the outside of it for school shoes so no more lost shoes and saves having shoes all over the house as DH fell down the last few steps scrapping all his back up as kids had come in from school and threw shoes up the stairs and he didn't see them and slipped over on them as couldn't see the shoes for all the coats all over banister end and the stairs so also put coat racks on sides of shoe cupboard rather than on the door at different heights for kids to hang coats on rather than dumped on floor or over end of bannister.

As you can probably tell I'm a tad OCD with putting things away etc but I'm a worrier so I'd always look round and think of worst case scenarios and try and sort it before anything bad happened and I'm still very much like that now even with kids all that bit older now. I drive the kids and DH mad with all my worrying.lol.

Xxxxxx

With their devices and time on the tellys etc I've always tried to be as relaxed as possible as in playing games with the kids and using google and YouTube etc so they see me as not stressing over things and found that the best way of doing it as they're more likely to tell me if there's something they see that they don't think they should as they think of mums ok with this then it must be ok kind of thing.
My kids have to earn their time on their devices, if they were good the night before and got up ok and went off to school ok and have been ok since getting home then once homework and reading etc has been done then they are allowed on them, they know if they have to be told off they won't be allowed to use them. If I have to ask them to do something and they take their time to do it they lose 5 minutes per time they have to be reminded what they have been asked to do.
No phones, tablets etc during meal time or family time and I would much rather kids were out in garden playing or playing with each other or toys than sat on devices 24/7 so they aren't as reliant on devices to amuse them as some kids are and if weather is nice then I'd rather kids were out and playing enjoying the nice weather than sat indoors but even when weather is rubbish kids enjoy playing together more than on devices.
Once all homework is done and have had dinner and done chores etc when it comes to nearly bedtime they have the choice of curl up with me and watch what I'm watching (as I hate kids tv on all the time and when I'm not busy I'll switch over to something I want to watch) half and hour on devices or half hour watching telly in their rooms and have most will choose to curl up and snuggle with me and enjoy snuggle time rather than devices.
In my house I'd much rather spend time with the kids playing or chatting about their day, what's happening the next day or even just sat listening to kids reading than be sat there with kids heads in their devices and can barely get a word out of them.lol.

I personally think kids are too reliant on electronics now and seem to have forgotten they are kids and how to play and enjoy time together, some people use kids devices as a kind of babysitter and that it'll keep the kids occupied whilst they do whatever which I can understand of busy cooking etc but when a child spends more time on a device than having fun playing or outside in the fresh air getting some exercise with other children then it isn't helping the children as they get too used to just sitting there not moving, nor talking and not interacting with other people. That's not a criticism of anyone but I know people who give their child a device as soon as get in from school and except having dinner the child doesn't move till it's time for bed and if you try and talk to them they don't even look up from the device and you can tell that you don't even have their attention as end up repeating yourself even just asking them how their day at school was. And it's the same at weekends where they barely move from the same spot and the parent sits there laughing that they can sit and relax all day as the child is sat amused on the device so it makes the parents day 'easier' than if they had to actually spend time with their child. Some even send the child straight upstairs from school to play on their device and apart from dinner the child spends basically all day every day except school hours sat in their room stuck on their electronics and the parents see the device as a glorified babysitter which I personally think is rather sad for the child. I didn't have children to have them permanently stuck in their rooms or on couch and to never spend any quality time together.

Like I said it's just my own personal opinion and I don't mean to offend anyone with my views as each person is different.

Xxxx