10 Ways to Protect Your Children On-Line

10 Ways to Protect Your Children On-Line

My computer vomited on me –

and my kids.

It was a big picture of a beautiful…naked young girl! {so unexpected and my kids were beside me!}

I shrieked in horror – quickly clicked away and held my breath – oh dear. What do I say?

So we had a little pow wow – me and the kids.

And after I was done talking with the kids about mommy’s massive mistake {face palm}, I went back to the computer.

And I felt dirty. Dirty from the image that had vomited on my children.  It came in the most unexpected place – on a media platform I have used for 4 years without any display of nudity or such fowl words.

And I thought of my little homeschool bubble and Christian blogging world I live in. And I think of my posts where I talk about modesty and people get upset and call me legalistic.  And I giggle just a bit because if you knew me in real life, you would know that I am not the measuring stick kind of girl…at all.

But after my experience on-line that day – my eyes were opened.  Maybe instead of talking about modesty, I should be addressing nakedness!

I’m afraid we live in a desensitized culture where sexting or tweeting lewd photos is cool – or even more – a multi-Billion dollar industry.

24 million websites are porn

40 million Americans are regular visitors of it – eeeek!

70% of men 18-24 visit these sites at least once a month.

2.5 billion emails A DAY have porn in them –

25% of search engine searches A DAY – that’s 68 million are porn related

The average age a child first sees porn –eleven 🙁

**These statistics were posted here in January of 2013.

So what does God have to say about nakedness?

In the garden – after Adam and Eve sin – the very first evidence of their corruption was their awareness of their nakedness.  And God clothed them. (Genesis 3:21)

One practical implication of this is that public nudity today is not a return to innocence but rebellion against moral reality. God ordains clothes to witness to the glory we have lost, and it is added rebellion to throw them off. ~ John Piper

And so – nakedness is rebellion.

And looking upon nakedness…rebellion.

And Satan – he’s a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. (I Peter 5:8)

Nakedness inside of marriage is purity.

And so what is pure – the enemy likes to twist and make impure outside of God’s boundaries.

But then he deceives and desensitizes and lurks and lures and he prowls…prowls on our husbands, prowls on our children and yes – he is even prowling on us!

But in a culture of shack up and break up where men and women wait longer and longer to wed –and those longings burn inside of each teen…these images are literally one click away. And I’m scared…scared for the generation coming behind me who are so used to these constant images.

These images have consequences…some images will permanently stick in our children’s minds for decades…our brains are amazing like that.

And so what do we as parents do?

10 Ways to Protect Your Children On-Line

1. Be aware. If we don’t protect them who will?  It is our job as parents to know what our children are doing and to set boundaries.  We need to monitor their video games, movies, television, apps, twitter, facebook, instagram, youtube, texting and the list goes on! This is a TALL task…I admit that already at the young age of my kids (8 and 10) I find it hard to monitor it all perfectly.  We have to be vigilant and intentional – don’t forget there is an enemy who wants us to not care or be naive –assuming our kids are fine and trustworthy.

2.  Know Your Child. Is gossip their weakness? Watch their texting. Do they have a thirst for violence? Monitor their video games.  Are they curious about the opposite sex – be on guard for porn. Are they lonely? Do not let them talk to strangers that could be predators.  Each child will have their own unique struggles that will require guidance.  That is our job – to impart knowledge and wisdom to our children – especially in their areas of weakness – don’t forget there is an enemy who wants you to not care or be naive. (Oh! I think I already said that -but I needed to say it again).

3.  Know your children’s passwords so you can check in periodically.

4.  Keep computers and i-products out of their bedrooms and in a common family area where you can oversee their activity on-line.  Have all products charge in the kitchen or a main common room – away from their bedrooms at night.

5. Ask your children to show you their favorite games and things to do on-line.  You might just learn something from them and you will get a view into their world.  Play some of their on-line games with them.  During our last family game night, we ditched the board games and played as a family – an iPad app called “Minecraft”.  The kids LOVED that we entered their world and played with them.

6.  Join Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and all the places your teenagers hang out and check daily to see what your child is posting and who their friends are.  Parent them through this maze of social media.  I can’t imagine all the immature things I would have posted when I was a teenager – I am SO glad this did not exist back then.  Teach your children that what they post is permanent – words have consequences.  Have your teens study the book of Proverbs – this book of wisdom will help them navigate relationships both on and off-line in a godly manner.

7.  Warn them of dangers they would not imagine.  Some children are trusting – they would not ever think of predators who could be waiting to harm them.  Make them aware!

8. Teach them to think for themselves.  We will not always be able to oversee our children’s internet use.  As they grow older, they will begin to use the internet at their friends house or the library or on their phones when we are not around.  Train your child to have a godly conscience and a healthy fear of God – so they are convicted when they go outside the bounds on-line.

9. Pray over your children daily.

10. Prepare to be unpopular.  If you set the above boundaries be prepared for some battles.  It’s easiest to have no boundaries at all. Don’t go the easy route…*

Friends, if you are too busy to monitor your children’s use of the internet…you are too busy. Period.

Josh McDowell writes:

Pornography is the number one threat to the cause of Christ, five times greater than anything historically in the last 2,000 years. It’s the greatest threat to young people, the greatest threat to marriage, the greatest threat to family, the greatest threat to pastors, oh, the greatest threat to youth pastors—this pervasive pornography on the Internet. And most people don’t realize. It’s five times greater than anything the church has ever faced in history, and it’s destroying kids right now.

Rise up mamas! Be aware!  Do NOT let the enemy get a foothold in your house!

**Chime In: What safety measures do you take in your home?

Walk with the King,

Courtney

 

44 Comments

    1. Dawn I to will pray with you. But continue in prayer and ever asking God to help. I went through this 4 years ago it took two years for us to make it through but it is such a blessing to say God is Great and bigger than it all.

  1. One of the things I do with my 6 year old is to use a free ad on for Firefox called Speed Dial. I pre-screen all of the websites I allow him to use, and add them to his speed dial. I disabled his navigation tool bar and search engines. I thought that was enough until I realized he was clicking on Ads. So I installed a free Ad-blocking add-on through Firefox as well. While he probably can figure out how to get to search engines and his navigation bar, he understands that if he is caught on any page that I didn’t add to his speed dial he will loose his computer privileges. On occasion he will need to go somewhere for school, or I will allow him to use netflix for kids on the computer, in those cases, he knows to ask me first and I will get him there.

  2. Thank you I love this reminder. Our children have just gotten computers and a Facebook only because of our move to Mexico, so they could stay in touch with family. I have a friend who works on computers and has a degree. The day they got the computers, they were taken over to him and he installed a program called K-9. My husband and I absolutely love it, we monitor what they see, how long they can see it and even shuts their computer off at a time frame we set. The thing I also love is it barks if it won’t let them on a website and my husband and I instantly know to look at their computers. There have been times they have been on a Math website but because of something that pop up, it blocked the page instantly and barked. 🙂 No it is not perfect and we as parents need to be in guard of our children’s eyes and ears but I am thankful for this program to help me when I am not able to be right there looking over their shoulders. (Which I try to be most of the time) LOL I am not popular at times but I know as adults they will understand and appreciate me for me it.

  3. Love this Courtney! My boys are little (7 and 5) but I am already taking steps to protect them. There are no video games here. My oldest is bent towards extra aggression so I just don’t want to have it in the house. A few months ago I got Covenant Eyes for our computer. I love that I can set limits and restrict specific sites for all of us (momma too).

    I have been talking with my boys about the importance of purity and looking (or running) away if they need to. Unfortunately their father doesn’t share the same convictions so it’s a bit of a struggle because they have no limits with him.

    Praying has been the best thing for me 🙂

  4. #2 is so, so important. What one child struggles with, another doesn’t. We don’t go by what’s fair in our house. Because, why would it be fair for everyone to have to live within the same restrictions of someone else who has a different struggle?

    And, with #6-Don’t forget Pinterest. The jokes, styles, images, etc. they pin can reveal a lot about what is in their heart and the level of their integrity. (and sometimes, our own, too!)

  5. First I am not using my full name in case someone reads this that knows me and my family. Porn is a bad thing. We are dealing with this problem and the person in the family say they are not looking at it. It is satan way of messing up a marriage

  6. I put net nanny and something else on the computer I gave my step son. He promptly went to his mother’s house and swapped it out for a tablet which has no controls on it whatsoever.
    It’s difficult when the kids aren’t’ yours alone.

  7. I try to monitor by using all the ways you listed, but I also have their accounts set up with a program called Guardian, which is designed to filter such obscene ads or foul language. I also use Norton family security, which monitors ask the sites my children visit, as well as any searches or downloads, and then it sends me a weekly email listing all the activity. I love this program, and it’s FREE!

    1. Natasha, we always monitored our teens phones, twitter, facebook, and emails. We didn’t read every single texts or email, but we had their passwords and they knew that we would, on occasion, be checking them out.

      We told them that it wasn’t a matter of trust, but a lack of experience and judgement on their part. We explained that their youth and lack of experience could cause them to get into a situation that they might have trouble getting out of.

      We also explained that it was a matter of accountability and that we wanted to make sure that they were succeeding.

      Also, they knew that, for that matter, they could check OUR texts if they wanted or check OUR emails. My husband and I had accountability with each other but we also offered our kids to check our phones or emails if they wanted. They never took us up on it. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t suggest something like that in that kids don’t get all of the same privileges as parents. But in this case it just seemed to make sense for accountability! 🙂

    2. There is a things called Mobicip that can be downloaded from the App store – it is ~$10/month. It is the browser that is used instead of Safari on mobile devices like Ipad and Iphones. You can check out their website. There are different settings available for all ages, detailed settings for particular sites and a setting for reports only, no filtering. We have been happy with this.

      Also, for windows filtering – we use a company called A+ Filtering for Christians website is hedgebuilders.com. They have discounts for homeschoolers, and those in the ministry. Can get a discount on Mobicip mentioned above when use hedge as well.

      Both of these have an accountability option where you can have usage reports mailed to you on a regular basis.

      Of course none of these is foolproof – though I believe Mobicip is more foolproof than any of the windows filter. We have tried many of them and hedgebuilders has proven to be the best for us. My husband struggles with this and has found ways around them all – though can’t seem to get around Mobicip too easily.

  8. Wise words! It’s o.k. to be unpopular and o.k. to be vigilant when we are trying to protect our children from what’s out there.

    When you don’t monitor your child’s social media, you can invite people into your home via the internet or t.v. that you would NEVER allow through your door. And yet you let them in via media and allow them access to and influence over your children. Scary!

    We had a rule that they were never allowed to play on a computer at someone else’s house. The main reason for that that we couldn’t determine who did and didn’t have a filter on their computer, so we just made it a blanket rule that they couldn’t and that way we didn’t have to worry about them on there. Eventually I discovered a couple of friends who DID have a filter and did monitor it so occasionally they were allowed to play on their computer when we were at their house.

    We never allowed our kids to watch dvd’s at someone else’s house without our permission. So they would call and let us know the name of the movie.

    We had a special guardian thing you can buy (it was about $50) and you hook it up to your t.v. and it takes all the swear words out of any dvd that you watch.

    We have filters on our computers, and also have a rule that our kids have filters on their computers as long as they’re living in our house, even though they’re over 18. We installed filters on our kid’s laptops as soon as they got them, which was the rule so it wasn’t a problem for them. So our kids are 20 and 24 and still have filters on their computers. Well, I don’t know about the 24 year old anymore as he is now married and not under our roof. Although I imagine his dad has encouraged him to have one as every man really should, I think (for accountability).

    We did join facebook and we did monitor our kid’s emails and texts when they were younger. Not every one and not every day. But we had their passwords and said that we would, on occasion, go and look at their emails and texts. We said it wasn’t a matter of trust but a matter of making sure that they were continuing on the right path and succeeding. Their dad also explained that he and I had access to one another’s passwords and had that same accountability.

    We didn’t allow our kids to have a facebook until they were around 17, I think, although I think one kid was 18. One kid didn’t have a cellphone until he was 18 and I think the other was 17. Our kids were homeschooled so didn’t really need one and we just didn’t think it was necessary. But we got the 17 year old one because he was working at the mall and we wanted him to have one for safety reasons, etc.

    Anyway, sorry for writing a book, lol!

  9. I’m so sorry this happened. I use google strict search and lock it. The only thing is if you use ccleaner, the cookies can be wiped away and then you need to go back and reset it. I was exposed to these images in movie when I was about 4 and in the care of a babysitter. I’m 35 and can still remember them and the storyline. I just have to not go there. I was exposed to it again around 18-19 while at a friend’s home. I was in Christ this time, but it still lured me in. I spent the next 12-13 years in a cycle of defeat. I wasn’t taught how to take my thoughts captive and wasn’t consistent in God’s Word. I had little power to fight temptation through lack of knowledge. One of the most powerful things was the day an older woman explained to me that watching was just like participating in the act. I said I would never do these particular acts. She said, Amanda, I hear you saying you would never do this, but you did. I burst into tears. It had been two years since the Lord set me free and granted me repentance, but it finally dawned on me what I had really done. I just pray that your readers would take a lesson just from my own experience and do whatever they need to do to stay away from this…even if it means disconnecting the internet or being a tv free home.

    1. I meant to add this as well.
      Setting Captives Free is great if anyone needs help getting free. XXXChurch also has free accountability software. Also, McAfee and Microsoft have a family safety filter built in. You just have to set up passwords. Be aware that kids can get in a password protected computer by going through safe mode. Our friend’s teenage daughter did this. Filters are great, but they do not take away a lustful heart. That is the place to start.

  10. Courtney, this is great advice!!!! As a person who grew up with technology (but when it was still developing – I’m 26, so we didn’t have internet till I was 12, no cell phones till 16, etc) I still get lectures from my parents (particularly my mum) about how ‘dangerous’ the internet is – my mum gets paranoid about this. Sometimes I wish they would just join Facebook etc so they can see how harmless it can be (while keeping boundaries of course). So your suggestion of letting the kids show you what they do is great!! Parents must guide their kids in everything, but I believe the great parents are the ones who realize they can also LEARN from their children when it comes to technology, and don’t ban it completely but let your kids have instagram etc, while monitoring and giving guidelines.

  11. We use K9 internet filter. We used to use Besafe , but when we switched to macs,we had to change filters. My kids are in college and we still have filters on our computer and their laptops. Totally recommend putting a filter on your computer.

  12. Great Reminders! We are slowly entering the online/texting tech world with our kids and realizing there is so much to protect them from. Glad you touched on texting as well. Our oldest has his own prepaid cell now and we do random cell checks and set time limits on phone time! Thank you for #10 encouragement from other mom’s is so key with this topic.

  13. If you go to opendns.com and select “home parental controls,” you can block inappropriate websites at the router level. They will not be allowed into your home at all. Kim Komando recommends this. Many of these protocols help, but the bottom line is that it is a heart issue. Sin draws. As parents, we cannot be too diligent.

  14. I think that all of the blocking websites and accountability is so important. However, nothing can replace CONTINUALLY TALKING to our kids about the world today. They need to hear us say we understand the things coming at them online and the pressures they face to be OK with this world’s obsessed views on sexuality. My girls (14 & 12) are looked at so different when they have Godly views of marriage and love and they need to discuss that. I guess what I am saying here is while all the other stuff to protect is of utmost importance lets remember as parents how much influence our voice has in our kids lives! Even if you are not a full-time parent or your kid acts as if they are tuning you out…they are still hearing your God filled heart spoken into them! 🙂

  15. You are SO correct about boys being drawn to porn early. It hit our home earlier than I expected. We have lots of neighbor kids, teens, who stop over and at times, use our computer. We have accountability set up, for my husband’s sake, and one day he called and said that an e-mail came out with a list of bad sites that had been accessed. He gave me the date and time and said, “who was over?” I checked my iPhone calendar and realized I was running a very specific errand on that day at that time. I realized no one was home except my 11 year old son. He had looked at porn. Ugh! I knew it would come but I didn’t expect it at 11. My husband had a talk with him and from that day on we have been very open & have talked a lot of internet porn. He has actually come to us a couple times and asked us to pray over him because he is feeling really tempted to look at site he shouldn’t. The other day, he jumped in the car after school, it was just him and I and he said, “Mom, we really need to talk about internet porn.” He’s 13 and in 8th grade. I always wanted my kids to be open and feel comfortable with us and I am thankful. It comes from Grace-based Parenting by Tim Kimmell. Best book ever! So glad we have a huge grace policy in our home so that my boys know they can come to us and talk about porn.

  16. I do not tend to comment on blogs but I feel like I needed to with this one. Courtney, first off, I would like to thank-you for blog and ministry. As a woman is slowly seeking Christ and who is newly married, you have been an inspiration to me with your marriage and housekeeping articles, as well as showing me how to navigate the Bible and start studying God’s word.

    I would like point out that I do not have children (I’m a newly wed and my husband and I are hoping to start planning for our first child this time next year – but we know God may have other plans) and so I do not feel qualified to post too much on this subject .
    Whilst I agree that children should not be exposed to pornographic images and that they should be taught that sex should only be in a loving, adult relationship between two people, I do not feel that being ‘naked’ is a bad thing. I know of friends who have been raised with the notion that the human body is ‘evil’ and something to be ashamed of, and they have some serious body hang-ups and insecurities, which affects their self esteem and relationships with their spouses/significant others. I do believe that this world is obsessed with sex & indecency, but I don’t feel that the human body is to be frowned upon. I plan to talk about this world view with my future children, because I do feel it is unavoidable in this day and age of social media, but I also plan to teach them the God’s way. I think sometimes if we withhold what goes on in this world, children’s curiosity can sometimes get the better of them (Eve’s curiosity did, and Satan did make it into the bubble of Eden…). Should we not make children aware of the Serpent (pornography) so that they can avoid it?? Of course I plan on having internet security and be very vigilant about what they are exposed to, but we cannot keep children in a bubble forever. I want a relationship where my children feel secure in asking me questions about the world we live in, and I can come back with a strong argument of why we shouldn’t seek out or glorify pornography or casual sex, because it is not Godly or pure, and in addition, carries lots of risks to one’s health and self-worth. I really loved momstheword’s comment about how they do trust their children, but they tell their children that they don’t have the maturity or judgement to decipher what is good or pure yet. I thought that was beautifully put.

    I’d love to here some of the mom’s opinions on here – as I say, I have yet to be blessed with children, and I am still such a young Christian, and so I will reiterate – I am probably not the best person to comment on this subject. However, I have a yearning to learn more about Christ and an open heart.

  17. I love all of these comments, my children are still younger and homeschooled but my husband and I have already started talking together to try and figure out the best approach. I recently listened to a presentation by two detectives in our city police department-in a very urban area-and it shocked me to learn how much information they can glean from the internet-social media websites especially-without any fancy, special police access-information that you and I could get of the internet as well!! The first place they go in an investigation is to social media websites to learn as much as they can about an individual!! They find “missing” kids on social media-along with the predators! The also stated that many, many kids have more than one profile on their preferred social media sites! 70% of kids hide their social media activity from their parents! It was scary how many sites (facebook, instagram) store information permanently! And more and more employers, schools, and lenders will check!! Any profile online is a window into someone’s life!! Posting pics while on vacation tells everyone that you aren’t at home!! The examples they gave were regular people-not criminals or “the dregs of society” that we might imagine!!
    Anyways-my big “takeaway” from this discussion was that we have to pray, teach, communicate, and definitely monitor our kids-on the computer, but also on mobile, app-driven devices! it is just like teaching them “don’t talk to strangers” when we were growing up! (only much more complicated!!)
    Thanks everyone for all of the thoughts and input!

  18. Great post Courtney and so very true. I think 7-8-9 are definitely the most true. I think talking about it and WHY it’s wrong is WAY better than just shielding them from it. Because sooner or later, like you said, they are going to go on the Internet, read a book, and send texts without you there. But if they have a discerning heart, hopefully they will know its wrong and click out of it. Only once have I had that happen to me on the Internet in a very racy pop-up ad. I immediately clicked out of it in disgust. We now have blocked pop-ups which has been a big help.

  19. Great advice here! Love what you wrote about knowing what your kids would struggle with. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom…putting in filters and set clear boundaries at a young age + talking a lot about what is healthy + praying for our kids….

  20. I like that the Internet can be used in a very resourceful way.. both spiritually and generally. It also has its bad sides, which we are verywell aware of, so keep well away from. It’s frightening at how easy this sick stuff is there at anyone’s fingertips, for those carnal who willingly choose it, and even for people who love God that dont want to view it – is offensive to us. I just couldn’t believe what was before my eyes total depravity in every way. We hadn’t long had our first computer it was a novelty. Videos, music, movies. That was what was typed into the search engine to me totally innocent… “Movies” maybe mary poppins I wanted or something like that. From then on we have had google safe search set on images to filter out nudity and obscenities.. This hasn’t been absolute though still images have popped up unexpected like women in lingerie . Accountability has been crucial to us as a whole family, even my hubby has had this happen. Anytime this ever happens which is now very rare we let each other know right away, because we want to honor our special love for each other that God has given us! We don’t allow the kids their own computer at this time, even though they’d love one. They know the reasons behind this as we always give them reasons to back up what we’re saying, also backed up with scripture.They do use our laptop though, and Smart Hub. Sometimes we will watch things together. They have a certain amount of time they are allowed to be on the net. This works for us , and the kids are happy with it too!

  21. I recently started using http://www.qustodio.com for our computers. The free version is awesome but if you want to monitor more closely, the annual subscription is better. I use the free one and I’m not associated with the company in any way.

  22. Great insight Courtney 🙂

    I recently put together a resource guide Purity Guide for Your Eyes – Navigating Our Sexually Saturated World. http://thewerners.org/2013/10/31/purity-guide-for-your-eyes-navigating-our-sexually-saturated-world-4/

    I’ve been doing a series on the importance of talking to our children early and often about “sex” because it’s everywhere. Even the most vigilant parent would have a hard time shielding their children’s eyes from every sexual message or image, but you can teach them how to guard their eyes and protect their hearts.

    Having two grown daughters 25 & 22 I know it’s possible to protect our children’s hearts and minds but we must from early on, be proactive verses reactive.

    Blessings

  23. Oh my gosh I have had the same thing happen to me and I had the same reaction! My kids are 4 and 8 WE clicked on a picture together it was a vase we were shopping for a vase and BAM it was in our faces! I closed fast and explained that there is bad stuff on the computer. My sister had the same thing clicked on an image off of google and there it was she got off of it immediately and she was brave she clicked her image again and it was gone. It’s some trick hack thingy or something. I am sure there’s a technical term and my husband would laugh at me explaining it since he is a techy. I felt violated and we weren’t the naked ones.
    Good to know there are links to the help ladies!

  24. Courtney, thank you for your post on this! I was just talking to my husband last night about how diligent we’re going to have to be (and our son is 9 months old, so I’m grateful I have some time – but unfortunately in our society not long enough!) when the time comes. These are some wonderful tips – especially praying for our children!

    Blessings,
    Nicole
    WorkingKansasHomemaker.com

  25. Courtney,
    I had the something very similar happen. Our computer picked up a virus or malware or “something” and all of a sudden pop-ups & porn video advertisements were everywhere!! They were even on Christian websites & blogs, that would never allow those images. I felt dirty for having seen it, but thankful that it was me & not my husband or 13yr old son!. I bought a new internet security software and it’s all cleaned up. It’s not a complete filter, so I’ve been researching and several I’ve looked into are covenanteyes.com and K9. I’m thankful for your other readers suggestions too!

  26. Most of the guys I deal with found porn by 11 years old and with smart phones at schools these young boys have access to the vilest of pornography. I would add, do not give you child a smart phone…prepare to be REALLY unpopular. But even at that, his or her friends will have access to porn and they will share it with your child. You should also talk to your sons (dad) by the age of 10 (at the latest) and pull no punches…this is a drug that will ruin your child’s ability to love others and will destroy his view of women. It will effect his marriage likely ending in divorce and the worst of the damage at that point will be to your grandchildren. This is deadly serious business. Would you let your child hang out with other children who are doing heroin and not be concerned. You need to be concerned. Do EVERY thing you can and pray pray pray for your children. I know I sound over dramatic but I have dealt with this myself and now lead a group for christian men who are dealing with all the consequences of sexual sin. Statistics are that 60% of men sitting in church are addicted to porn… Hebrews 12:14-17….there are eternal consequences.

  27. I love the “Prepare To Be Unpopular”. My opinions are almost ALWAYS in the minority. It’s not always a comfortable place to be, but we are truly not alone.

  28. This is a spot-on post–and the comments here have been a blessing, too! A lot of kids that I have worked with in church over the years have seen more than I ever have. Most of them were just dropped off at church as if a little religion were some sort of insurance against the future, but the families were not serious enough to get porn out of their homes. Result? Stolen childhoods, warped thinking, and younger and younger ages being addicted to this…filth. Thank you for this word in due season.

  29. My children are still young (5 & 2) but I already have a plan to protect them when they are older. All phone calls will take place sitting beside me/hubby with the speaker phone on. Texts & emails will be read by me daily. Internet usage will be conducted with me sitting there to monitor.

    Accidents happen when you are on the computer, content can pop up despite your best efforts, parental controls, virus & spam protection. But I will do all in my power to keep my kids safe from predators.

  30. These suggestions are all great…but what about the “incognito tab” we have had filters in place and we have done all the talks and checking their devices etc. etc. and we just found out last night that our son heard that he could open an incognito tab and see whatever he wants….and he did! He has told me that he has been viewing porn that way for 2 years and our filters never alerted us because they do not see the incognito tab as something to alert us to! So now what? I am devastated…..we thought we were doing all the “right” things to protect our children and now my son is a broken mess. I am so thankful that God revealed it all but I wanted to warn you other mama’s….the INCOGNITO TAB does not set off any red flags on Covenant Eyes!!! If any of you have any suggestions….i would love to hear. Thank you

    1. My son left his phone at a friend’s house. We have qustodio on all of our devices so my husband got an email that inappropriate words had been typed into the search on his phone. Almost all were blocked except “hooters.” Turns out my son’s friend was trying to look things up and was using the incognito search. We would have had no clue if we didn’t have qustodio on our devices. Our boys know we monitor all devices and check text messages. It isn’t a perfect program but provides an extra level of accountability. My husband is very open with our boys (we have 5) that all people and men especially need accountability with the internet.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.