From the Savvy Cyber Kids point-of-view we—parents, grandparents, educators and any adult who cares for a young person—have a responsibility to digitally parent and raise cyber aware kids. Their safety, if not their lives, depends on it.

There is no one-stop shop set of rules for digitally parenting. Every family can and should make their own judgements, even from child to child, about what constitutes cyber safety and cyber ethics in the family home. The one rule we impart to EVERY digital parent is to get involved and stay involved in your children’s digital lives.

At every Savvy Cyber Kids parent or teacher session, adults are always asking about what tool they should use to accomplish a myriad of goals. Here are some of the questions:

  • There are so many parental control options available for iPhones, iPads, Android phones and tablets, and other devices, how do I know which one to choose?
  • Do I really need to use a VPN to protect my personal information and client data? If so, do you have one you recommend?
  • When it comes to home parental controls options, such as setting web filters for my children and turning off devices at a specific time, which product do you recommend?
  • Do I really need anti-virus software on my Apple computer? Which one do you recommend?

These types of questions repeated themselves so often that I decided to post a page to SavvyCyberKids.org under the Resources section called Tools.

How each of these tools or solutions made the list is for another post, but generally speaking, the tools and solutions listed are either the highest rated products among their competition, the best product technically, or based on feedback from other parents that they love the product based on experience.

But remember, even if you are using software and hardware parental controls, they are aids to digital parenting. They can never replace the best parental control…YOU. No matter what level of technical control you put in place inside and outside your home, the influence of tech and mass media is breezing past you outside the home. Your child is being exposed to images and messages that you need be aware of. Children need a parent helping them to navigate this new world. Start ‘The Tech Talk’ and never stop!

Savvy Cyber Kids educates and empowers digital citizens, from parents and grandparents, to teachers and students. Sign up for our free resources to help you navigate today’s digital world with cyber ethics. See more cyber safety and cyber ethics blogs produced exclusively for EarthLink. Looking for a social media parental control? Try a 30-day free trial of Bark. If you sign up after your trial, Bark donates 25% of your monthly fee to Savvy Cyber Kids.

Thank you to the Savvy Cyber Kid’s sponsors!

Interested in becoming a Savvy Cyber Kids sponsor? Email Ben Halpert.