During this time when kids are likely on screens longer and with less supervision, they are more likely to accidentally stumble onto unsavory content. Age 10 is now the average age of first pornography exposure for kids, with nearly 90% of scenes portraying a man being violent to a woman. We strongly recommend installing an internet filter like CleanBrowsing, OurPact, Quostodio or Circle on your server (to learn more, visit Protect Young Eyes) and considering a monitoring service like Bark to let you know when they are running into harmful content. Depending on the age of your child, you may want to consider more “gated” sources (e.g., PBS Kids, Disney+, Netflix) rather than less managed sites like YouTube or TikTok. These ideas aren’t 100% foolproof, but you will rest much better knowing a safety net is in place.
In addition to filters, we suggest avoiding using devices in private places like bedrooms or bathrooms-which increases your child’s risk of making poor decisions. Even with safety nets in place, be warned that mistakes will happen, so when your child shares an awkward or shocking situation…don’t overreact. Make it clear to your child that you are safe harbor, and they can tell you anything.
