Smart Tools to Keep Kids Safe

*Photo by fizkes

With the state of the world the way it is, you may feel like you have no control over your life, or the lives of your loved ones. It's especially scary to think that there's little you can do to protect your children or help to keep them safe.

But I'm here to tell you: that does not have to be the case. There are, in fact, several tools at your disposal to make kids' safety not only possible, but easy. And you have technology to thank for it! Here are just a few of your options:

Parental Controls

One of the easiest ways to keep your kids safe is literally in the palm of your hand. Whether your child has their own cell phone or borrows yours, you can utilize the parental control settings that come standard with it. With those settings, you can manage the type of online content your child can access, set how long they can be online, and stop them from making any unauthorized purchases. Similar kinds of parental controls are also found on desktops, tablets, and other electronic devices.

If those standard settings don't work for you, you can always invest in a third-party parental control app that can give you the type and level of control you really want. 

Videos & Video Games

Sure, you can just talk to your kids about safety. But odds are they blank out at the mere suggestion of a lecture. Your odds of success swing dramatically in your favor, however, if you use a visual aid that kids really like. In this case, that aid is animated videos and games.

Many kids’ safety organizations use games, cartoons and other videos these days to get their particular safety message across. It’s a time-tested fact that children love these kinds of media. So, they are much more likely to pay attention and actually have fun learning about things like cybersecurity awareness, water safety, what to do in case of a fire or other emergency, and much more.

Online Criminal Records Searches

Lastly, there are online tools that you can use to help keep your kids safer when they're out in the real world. With online public records sites, you can look up other adults who may be around a child, like other parents or that new neighbor down the street.

With such a search, you simply enter the person’s full first and last name (and a city or state, if you know it). Once you’re sure you have the right person, you have the option of accessing their public records to see if you can find out more about any criminal records they may have if they’re a sex offender of some type, and so on. Then, you can act accordingly.

You may not be able to control a lot of what's going around you in the world. But, with these technological tools at your disposal, you can at least take control of--and get some peace of mind about--your children’s physical and online safety.   

Since 1999, PeopleFinders.com has made it easier for parents and other adults in the U.S. to find important information online. The public records data that's available enables parents to make smart decisions about the people around them and keep their family safer.