There’s no feeling like the trepidation one experiences at the outset of a large research project. Where does one begin? What is the best sequence of steps to take in completing the research? Using the internet to do research poses some issues: while it may seem that having so much information at one’s fingertips should make academic research a less time-consuming endeavor, the sheer amount of stuff out there can make it hard to know which sources to fully trust.

In this guide, we’ll explain the most efficient way to conduct online research, how to assess the legitimacy of sources, how to cite them the correct way, and conclude with a broad list of resources spanning a multitude of fields. No sense in getting lost in the quest for citation-worthy academic sources, it’s all right there in front of you..

Selecting a Topic

The research topic you choose has a huge effect on the outcome of your assignment: select a topic that’s broad and well trodden and there will be little to distinguish your work from others, while if you select a topic that’s too obscure, and it will be a struggle to gather relevant research.

The correct path lies in the middle ground: the right balance of background resource availability and uniqueness.

Here’s a sequence of steps to get you on your way:

1. Pick a field you’re intrigued by and read some background information on it. If you pick a topic you have little interest in, it will be hard to stay focused. Read an encyclopedia (or even wikipedia) entry on your topic to gather general knowledge.
2. Based on what you’ve gathered from preliminary research, zero in on a specific focus. Reading an encyclopedia entry on your topic will allow you to sharpen your focus on a more specific aspect of the topic. If your given assignment limits you to a particular style of argument, this may be even simpler.
3. Choose several major areas of research relevant to your topic and sort your research into these categories. Filing your research into categories based on main keywords will simplify your task.
4. Don’t be afraid to switch gears. If you struggle to find relevant information on your chosen topic or articles that back up your argument, pivot to a different topic that is better supported by the research you are doing.

Getting the Most Out of Search Engines

First of all, for general searches, always use Google. Unless you are in China where the site is banned and you do not have a VPN subscription (in which case, you’ll have to use Bing), Google will bring you the best results.

A few tips on improving your Google searches:

• Visit here for some shortcuts on how to refine your searches.
• Place exact quotes or phrases within quotation marks to drastically reduce search results.
• Enter in “All in text:” before your topic to filter out irrelevant results. (example: “all in text: victorian vampire novels”)

Of course, if you are looking for academic resources, i.e., psychological studies, mathematics papers, etc., a Google search won’t cut it. You’ll have to choose an academic search site focused on a specific field of study. Quite a few of these websites are listed below, sorted by field.

Choosing and Vetting Online Sources

Over twenty years into its existence, there’s still a bit of a “wild west” feel to much of the internet, where a lot of information presented as credible is actually inaccurate, or from dubious  sources with certain agendas.

Generally, if you stick to the databases and archives listed below, and cite from peer-reviewed sources, you’ll be okay. To be sure of the credibility of a source, Google search it to gather background information that can verify its legitimacy.

Another thing to avoid is predatory open access publishers running low quality journals that charge fees to hopeful authors without granting them the resources or clout associated with legitimate journals. Using sources from these types of publishers begets an unethical practice.

Go here to find a list of predatory journals.

Using Sources Properly

When you use information from a source in your work, even if it’s paraphrased (phrasing the information using your own words), you must cite it, or else what you are doing qualifies as plagiarism.

Best to err on the safe side: some professors are extremely strict about plagiarism, and being accused of the practice can have serious consequences, including suspension or even expulsion.. When in doubt--even if the material reads like general background information--cite your source.

Furthermore, you should be careful about reusing material from previous essays you’ve written. Self-plagiarism is a real thing, and if you repeat yourself without citing the previous work, you are guilty of it.

Run your work through this free plagiarism checker to be sure you are in the clear.

Citing Sources

When citing sources in your work, it’s important to be consistent and stick to a specific citation style throughout the work. Likely, your teacher or professor will prefer one of three main styles be utilized. These styles are the American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA) and Chicago styles. The rules for each of these styles is extensive, and citations will vary based on the type of source cited. It’s best to follow a thorough guide for each. Here’s one for each style:

• MLA style: Purdue Writing Lab MLA Formatting and Style Guide
• APA style: Mendeley APA Citation Guide
• Chicago style: Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide

Research Links

This list of research databases and other helpful sources should be a boon to any young researcher. Some sites require a subscription (which may be granted to you simply for being a student), while others are free for anyone to use.

Search Engines and Databases

• iSEEK Education:  A great academic resource search engine with an “authoritative” setting that returns only articles vetted by universities, noncommercial providers, and government organizations.
• Google Scholar: Google’s own scholarly material search engine that extends a vast reach across a wide ranges of databases, returning full articles or metadata as well as lists of citations and related links.
• JournalSeek: JournalSeek claims to be the web’s largest free collection of journal information, with a collection of over 40,000 titles. The searchable categories are vast and include arts and literature, economics, and all of the branches of physical science.

Books, Libraries and Archives

• Google Books: The search giant’s Books project has spanned over a decade, with the expressed purpose of scanning and making available every one of the estimated 130 volumes around the world. Right now, the number’s around 30 million.
• jSTOR: A vast archive of academic journal material and the #1 go-to for university students and educators, alike. Much of the content is free, although full access to the archive costs $19.50 a month. Many students will be granted free access based on their enrollment, alone.
• Project Gutenberg: A huge database  compiled by thousands of volunteers of over 57,000 free eBooks that have found their way into the public domain.
• Catalog of U.S. Government Publications: The U.S. federal government’s official catalog of publications from congress and other sources. An excellent resource for firsthand sources and academic research.
• Library of Congress: All manner of media, including books, videos, images and sound recordings are available through the Library of Congress’s website, as well as information about upcoming exhibits, and more.
• The National Archives: A boundless source of records and data, including genealogical information, military enlistment records, and documents detailing labor strikes and work stoppages stretching back to 1800.
• The Internet Archives: Another terrific nonprofit online catalog of all manner of media and texts from a dizzying array of sources. One of the most interesting projects is the Wayback Machine, which began in 1996 and is dedicated to documenting the history of the internet.

General Reference

• The World Factbook: Providing detailed information and statistics on 267 “world entities” (their words), few sources can be more trusted for information gathering than the CIA.
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary: The online version of the premier U.S.-based dictionary. Beyond the comprehensive dictionary and thesaurus, there are also articles discussing the history of the usage of certain words currently trending in the zeitgeist.
• Encyclopedia Britannica: No encyclopedia is more respected than the Britannica, and now all volumes are available online. Full access will cost you, but the seven-day free trial is worth checking out.
• References: A massive compendium of great reference links categorized in dozens of categories. Claims to be the web’s largest.
• Thesaurus: The go-to online thesaurus. Entries include a word history as well as a list of antonyms for your viewing pleasure.
• Literary Encyclopedia: A frequently updated, expertly maintained catalog of articles covering literature and culture, with entries on works, authors, styles, and historical context. Visitors are allowed one free article per day, while an individual subscription costs $9.95 a month, or just $18.95 for a full year.

Journalism

• AP Archive: One of the most trusted news sources, the Associated Press’s archive of news stories and media spans back all the way to 1895, with tons of new content added daily. The organization’s partnership with other networks like ABC enriches their video library.
• The New York Times Times Machine: The Newspaper of Record’s archive of just about every single news story they’ve ever printed in the past 150 years. An excellent research resource for discovering how historical events were covered contemporaneously.
• Google News Archive: Google’s predictably exhaustive collection of scanned copies of hundreds of newspapers from around the world which, in some cases, date back to the early 19th century.

Health and Medicine

• PubMed: A U.S. National Library of Medicine sponsored collection of over 28 million biomedical literature citations. In some cases, full text articles are available, while other times only the citations are available.
• Mayo Clinic: One of the nation’s most respected hospitals also hosts a website with a ton of information about various medical conditions, their causes and symptoms, and possible treatments.
• The British Medical Journal Archive: The premier UK medical journal’s full archive spanning back to 1840 won’t be cheap to access, at 138 pounds a year (about $180), but for medical students and researchers, it’s worth it.

Science

• Science.gov: The official government portal that you can use to search over 60 databases and 2000+ websites for scientific research material.
• Worldscience.org: Another great search tool for finding scientific research and development material. This site provides results in many languages owing to a partnership between organizations from countries around the world.
• NASA: One of the best sources for the latest astronomical news and discoveries. NASA’s wonderful gallery of satellite images is unparalleled, and a major draw for visitors of the site.  
• Science Magazine: Journals: The archive of one of the world’s leading academic journals, with access granted to subscribers. A year subscription is only $25 for students.
• Astrophysics Data System: Run by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and paid for by a NASA grant, the ADS may look like a website from 1998, but it contains over 14 million records from publications in Physics and Astronomy.  
• Genetics: For students of biology, the journal Genetics is a must-read, covering the major developments in a field whose knowledge base is exploding and which will have major ramifications for the century ahead.

Engineering and Technology

• IEEE Xplore Digital Library: An online library of literature covering the fields of technology and engineering dedicated to “advancing technology for the benefit of humanity”. Subscriptions are purchased by institutions, so you may already have access, depending on which school you attend.
• Technology in Society: An international journal dedicated to discussion on how technology shapes and affects the world around us. Submissions to the journal are more philosophical in nature than others.
• Engineering.com: A nice site of media and resources for engineering students with games, utilities, and an archive of journals.

Social Sciences

• Current Anthropology: One of the best anthropology journals around the world published by the University of Chicago. Subscriptions are relatively affordable and can be purchased by both individuals and institutions.
• American Psychology Association: A necessary website for psychology students that includes an archive of back publications, up-to-date news, and general information on the practice of psychology.
• American Sociological Review: A leading sociological journal that can be accessed through a subscription to SAGE Publications, a publisher of over 1000 journals, worldwide.

Politics and Law

• Law Library of Congress: The Law Library of Congress website has an absurd amount of available information, include the constitutions and law codes of just about every nation in the world.
• Congress.gov: The site where you can view all of the latest legislative action taken by Congress, as well as a schedule of upcoming meetings of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
• Harvard Law Review: Few student-run organizations carry as much prestige as the Harvard Law Review; it’s weighty journal published monthly from November to June prints articles by experts in the field of law.
• Find Law: A great resource for both contemporary legal news and searching for cases and decisions posted by courts around the country. Visitors can search by topic or jurisdiction.

Economics and Finance

• Economics Search Engine: Utilizing a beta version of the Google Custom Search Engine, the ESE allows visitors to search over 23,000 economics websites for the material they’re looking for.
• U.S. Small Business Administration: A government-sponsored site that serves as both an informational resource, and a directory of government offices and sources of funding based on one’s needs and status.
• FRED: Hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, FRED is a great source for finding all manner of economic data and information.

History

• Smithsonian Institution Collections Search: If you are unable to visit the Smithsonian in person, no matter, you can still search the museum’s online record, which includes over 14 million records of museum objects and exhibits, including 3 million images, audio files, and videos.
• Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Scholars of ancient history will love this site, which hosts primary sources from all of the major ancient civilizations, from the Mesopotamians to the Romans of Late Antiquity.
• Digital History: Covers American History from a number of angles and spans all time periods. Hosts a huge library of primary source documents from the Revolutionary Era to the present.
• HistoryNet: The website of the world’s largest history magazine publisher. Visitors can read (and cite) articles from all nine of the publisher’s magazines.

Mathematics

• zbMATH: zbMATH is the top search site for finding papers published in leading mathematics journals. Visitors can also search for specific software and formulas, which you won’t find in databases of other fields.
• CIS - Current Index to Statistics: A library of the core contents of 160 statistics journals dating back to 1975 (or before, in some cases). Since the beginning of 2017, CIS has been open to the public.

Arts

• Yale University Library Art & Art History: A broad index of art history literature and images of artworks. Visitors must sign on through their academic institution.
• Web Gallery of Art: Need a high res image for your art history paper? Look no further than the Web Gallery of Art, which has been up for over 20 years and contains over 46,000 reproductions. 

The moment you begin using technology to keep your young children busy, they get exposed to online threats. So it’s never too soon to take proactive measures to protect your children online.

As your kids grow up, they learn to navigate apps, games, online stores, social networks, dating sites, and virtual worlds. By early teens, they become Internet-savvy and self-confident and want to explore more of what the Internet has to offer. That’s when monitoring their online behavior may no longer be enough because they learn how to bypass your safeguards.

You need to teach them privacy and safety basics before they strike out for online independence.

The best way to protect your children online is to equip them with necessary skills and tools and make sure they know what to do – or where to ask for help – when you’re not there to check in on them.

This guide helps parents make sense of the online threats relevant to different age groups – from young children to teens. It also dwells on how families can:

• Protect their kids online
• Teach their children safe and responsible online behavior
• Seek help or report online threats

Online Safety for Preschoolers

Risks

Children are the fastest-growing group of smartphone users

Smartphones are ubiquitous across households and children are the fastest growing group of smartphone users.

But while some suggest smartphone addiction has adverse effects on children’s mental health, others are more concerned about predators, cyberbullying, sexting, malware, identity theft, and inappropriate content.

In-game purchases

Before your child gets her first smartphone (at the age of 10, if stats don’t lie), she’ll be playing and watching videos on your phone.

It makes sense to lock in-app purchases on your devices before you discover your kids have spent a few hundred dollars on Smurf’s Village or Candy Crush.

Apple once got into hot water with parents for not providing enough safeguards against unauthorized use of IAPs by children. After Cupertino had to settle a $100M class-action lawsuit, all tech giants beefed up their safeguards and policies. Therefore, you’re the only person responsible for controlling the money your kids spend on gems, tokens, and crates.

Video games rating

Trust me on this – you can’t entirely rely on Apple and Google to vet games for kids properly at all times. Too many factors are at play here, and what’s been rated as appropriate for all ages may turn out to be a violent game, have explicit imagery, or worse.

Notorious was the Roblox incident when some parents discovered their children were abused online by predators when exploring the open world of a mobile game. Little has changed after the news went viral, and Roblox is still among the top mobile games for kids.

Likewise, games like Kick the Buddy sport 4-5-star ratings on iTunes and Google Play while parents who bothered to check it were awed by the explicit violence it glorifies.

Inappropriate content

70% of unwanted exposure to inappropriate content occurs in the home. When young kids browse the Internet unsupervised, it’s only a matter of time when they navigate to a page full of explicit material.

Camfecting

Camfecting, or webcam hacking, is the reason Mark Zuckerberg covers his laptop’s webcam with non-transparent duct tape. Unfortunately, young children are under a far greater danger of becoming the targets of webcam hackers.

The problem isn’t just in your laptop, smart TV, or a smartphone. Many smart toys and baby monitoring devices come with embedded webcams.

Monitoring devices’ primary purpose is to let you keep an eye on your baby while she sleeps. Unfortunately, developers of smart toys and baby monitoring gadgets rush to push a product onto the market ahead of the competition. Too often, they neglect security, so smart Internet-of-Things gadgets come loaded with vulnerabilities.

DDoS attacks that use IoT microwaves, smart fridges, and CCTV cameras aren’t new. But predators hacking baby monitoring devices to watch young kids make for a far more sinister reality than a DDoS attack.

One Washington family realized their baby monitor was hacked when the hacker spoke to their son through it, saying “Wake up little boy, daddy’s looking for you.” In Indiana, a mother heard “Every Breath You Take” playing through her baby monitor accompanied by “sexual noises.”

What You Can Do

• Create a separate account with limited privileges if your child uses your device.
• Lock or disable IAPs altogether until your kids are old enough to use them correctly.
• Install a parental control app and limit the time they spend playing mobile or computer games and watching cartoons.
• Set your device to Airplane mode or disable wireless connection when you don’t want your children to access the Internet unsupervised.

Don’t let kids play with devices that store your sensitive information, especially if you use that device under a BYOD policy at work. Kids can download ransomware or spyware that can expose your personal or work data.

Online Security for School-Aged Kids

Risks

Increasing use of the Internet

Sometime between elementary and middle school, most kids learn to rely on the Internet for entertainment, socialization, and help with homework or school projects.

Smartphone or tablet is no longer the only gateway to the online realm. They master other Internet-connected devices such as consoles, smart TVs, computers, and laptops – the threat landscape increases significantly.

But this is also the right time for parents to step up online privacy talks and teach their kids basic cyber security notions.

Socialization and virtual worlds

Online gaming – through consoles, PCs, and smart TVs – have long been the source of parental concerns since many games feature sexual or violent content.

But open-world games, the so-called virtual worlds, where players can freely roam the game’s realm and chat with others, often harbor predators and bullies. It’s not uncommon when kids get cyberbullied or harassed by other players.

Chats and texting

Younger kids might not be overly interested in texting. But by middle school, they get more interested in socializing with their peers.

When chat apps and social networks become a part of your kids’ lives, it’s time to have a talk about “stranger danger online.”

Unauthorized posts on social media containing your kids photos

Let’s assume you control how your children’s photos are shared among your friends and family on social networks. But once your children go to school, you have to rely on their teachers to protect their privacy online.

Sharing photos online has become so commonplace most people don’t give it a second thought, unfortunately.

What You Can Do

• Monitor

  • Monitor what your kids are up to online and provide guidance.
  • At this age, they’re too young to seek privacy from you. Instead, kids enjoy doing everything with you. So teaching them online privacy and safety is a lot easier than when they turn rebellious a few years later.

• Teach them about ads and spam

  • Show them how to identify ads, spam and show examples of chain messages.
  • It might be a good idea to have a separate talk about why online ads are a threat in the first place. You may not realize your kid thinks ads are messages from good guys who want to help you (to have new toys, white teeth, you get the point).

• Introduce them to password basics

  • As they begin to do things independently, help them to set up their account with a gaming or educational website (i.e., Hot Wheels, Club Penguin, Moshi Monsters).
  • As you guide them through the signup process, explain the importance of having strong passwords and storing them in a safe, organized way. Don’t forget to teach them to use different passwords for each account.

• Play their games

  • You want to know what they’re playing to identify the threats and explain to them before something creepy happens. It’s okay to vet all the apps and games they download at this age. Explain your judgment – don’t just ban something without reason and cause frustration.
  • Remember – communication is key and awareness is the best tool against many online dangers.

• Bookmark favorite sites

  • Let your kids have a separate browser, where you teach them how to customize their browser privacy and security settings.
  • Also, bookmark their favorite sites and offer help to navigate to new sites. Try to limit the time they spend on the Internet unsupervised.

• Solving the unauthorized photo sharing problem

  • Unless a photo violates the site’s Terms of Service, there’s little you can do to take down a picture of your kid someone posted online without your consent.
  • Try asking the person who posted it to remove it, crop it, or apply a filter to hide your kid’s face and remove the tag name.
  • If a teacher posted the photo, and you haven’t signed a consent form for the educator or school to do so, you can file a request for removal to your school administration.

Things You Should Know – and Teach Your Kids – about Predators

As a parent, you are your child’s first line of defense against online predators.

Unfortunately, the Internet provides pornographers and pedophiles with an unprecedented opportunity to target victims. No longer do they lurk around school playgrounds because they search for their victims while hiding behind a computer screen, a fake identity, and other anonymizing tools.

Predator profile

An online predator isn’t someone you’d normally view as such. It’s a well-adapted, functional and maybe even successful individual who:

• Blends well into society
• Is law-abiding, pays his taxes
• Has a good job and reputation
• Engages in charity and volunteer projects often involving children
• Appears trustworthy

Online predators often introduce themselves to their targets as teens of the opposite gender – someone who the victim would be interested in talking to. They emulate the teen writing style and vocabulary, and have easily accessible images of teens to use as their profile photo.

What’s grooming

Grooming is the process in which a predator gains a child’s trust. It may begin with a child’s favorite sports team, but predators often build it around the teen’s yearning for romance or sexual information.

A predator is an excellent listener; he sympathizes with the child’s problems and supports her choices. At the same time, he exploits a child’s natural sexual curiosities, and gradually introduces the topic into their conversations (via text or pornography).

A predator is generous in sending gifts, money, and attention. But the crucial point of grooming is driving a wedge between the victim and his or her parents (either through promises of an exciting experience or threats and blackmail).

Warning signs

The following red flags in your child’s behavior may signal the presence of an online predator:

• Becomes secretive, withdrawn, and obsessive about being online
• Turns off computer or quickly changes screens when a parent enters the room
• Begins consuming pornography
• Receives phone calls and/or packages from someone parents don’t know

Talk, explain, but don’t over-react

Did you know that:

• American children begin viewing hardcore pornography online at an average age of 11.
• 1 in 7 kids gets a sexual solicitation online.
• In 82% of online sex crimes against minors, the criminal used the victim’s social media profile to gain information about the target.
• 14% of 13-15 year-olds accept an invitation to meet an online stranger in-person.

It’s imperative that parents befriend their kids on social networks and keep an eye open on their activities. When a child’s online behavior gets risky (posting sensitive information, chatting with and befriending strangers), it’s high time to have another stranger danger conversation, but this time – the explicit version.

Avoid over-reacting when spotting something suspicious. Instead, ask if their new online friend has:

• Asked for personal information and pictures
• Talked and encouraged conversations about sex
• Sent explicit photos or videos, or links to explicit content online
• Offered gifts, favors or money

If you suspect your teen might be a predator’s target:

• Collect evidence
• Make screenshots
• Involve law enforcement

Online Privacy for Teens

Reasoning with kids may get tough during puberty. Hormonal changes coupled with a yearning for more freedom, independence, experiences, and privacy may make it difficult for parents to monitor and protect their kids online.

At the same time, teens become increasingly dependent on peer approval and pressure to share. They may engage in risky or regretful behavior to gain popularity.

Cyberbullying

As social networks take center stage in teens lives, enter cyberbullying and trolling. Some engage in cyberbullying, while others become their victims. It’s not uncommon when teens engaging in online harassment become victims themselves.

What is cyberbullying?

Cyberbullying occurs across all major social networks and takes many forms:

• Spreading rumors
• Defamation, slander
• Threats via texts, social networks, or email
• Impersonating the victim and posting embarrassing information under their name
• Sharing explicit photos without the victim’s consent
• Posting degrading, humiliating information about the victim
• Excluding the victim from online activities

Having your most private information posted online for the world to laugh is devastating to an adult, let alone a kid. The consequences can be far-reaching – from health problems to hampered employment opportunities at a later point.

Trolling

Trolling, or making deliberately offensive, degrading, provocative comments is somewhat different from cyberbullying. Whereas cyberbullying is persistent, trolling can be a one-off and aims to incite an emotional response from the victim and disrupt a conversation.

What You Can Do

Researchers state fewer than half of children bullied online share their struggle with their parents. Some are concerned about their parents’ efforts to stop bullying will only make it worse.

As a parent, it’s your responsibility to treat cyberbullying as a serious threat. Again, befriend your kids on social networks and keep tabs open on their timeline and peer comments:

• Collect details, take screenshots, copy URLs
• Report cyberbullying to the social network involved
• Block or unfriend the offender not just on the social network but also block their phone
• Talk to your kids and see if they show signs of significant emotional distress
• Seek professional help, if needed

Social Networking Risks

Oversharing and identity theft

The pressure to overshare may urge teens to disclose private information online. There are multiple problems with oversharing on social networks:

• Peers may use that information to harass the victim or humiliate them publicly.
• Hackers use social engineering for identity theft (mining personal information from the victim’s social profiles).
• Burglars may use information about your vacation plans to break in when you’re away.
• Predators use that information for grooming.
• The teen loses control of where their pictures and videos are posted, discussed, and shared.

What You Can Do

Teach your kids about safe social media behavior:

• Explain that everything they say online is backed up on the social network’s servers and other people can take screenshots of it. So being polite online is just as important as good manners in the offline realm.
• Explain the things they should never post online – full name, phone number, address, SSN, school, or their mother’s maiden name. Vacation plans and details about their home alarm system fall under this category, especially when sharing pictures.
• Teach them how to disable location services.
• Help them beef up the privacy and security settings of their social networking accounts, make their accounts private.
• Help them set up alerts when someone tags them online.
• Reiterate the importance of verifying the identities of their online friends.
• Stay involved, be friends on social networks.
• Help your child report and block offenders.

Software

Vet new apps

Teens are tech-savvy and independent enough to customize their devices and experience without adult supervision. But many apps and games are expensive or too difficult to beat.

Enter cheats, hacks, and doctored software. More often than not, sites distributing pirated software and games also distribute malware, spyware, ransomware, and other badware.

P2P has taken piracy to a new level, but the problem is it’s hard to persuade avid torrenters to stop downloading pirated movies and games.

From installing malware to exposing themselves to offensive content, kids also can get their whole family in trouble with copyright trolls and Internet Service Providers.

Possible solutions include:

• Teach them to install games and apps only from the official online stores
• Encourage them to play without installing cheats
• Limit the time they spend online when inappropriate content takes center stage
• Show them how to use antivirus, antimalware, anti-keylogging apps, and VPNs

Must-have apps that protect kids’ privacy and security

• Antivirus, antimalware, and anti-keylogging apps are a good start.
• Add in a reliable VPN and a firewall that’s easy to customize and block/allow apps from accessing the Internet in the background.
• Don’t forget to install ad-blockers for all browsers and to disable location services, where possible.
• Together, go through your kids’ social networks to tweak privacy settings.
• Introduce your kids to encryption and encryption-based software – secure chatting, emails, and vaults for storing photos.

Parental Control and Monitoring Tips, Apps, and Services

Don’t know it? Learn it

As a parent, you need to understand what your kids are doing online, what games they like and why, and what challenges they face. There’s no way you can do this by simply talking about their online privacy.

You need to participate in their online lives – play their games, try their apps, visit their websites and share experiences. While you do, read the services’ ToS and Privacy Policies.

This way, you know what they’re up to online but also remain in their closest circle of trusted adults.

Monitor your credit reports and bank accounts

As your kids get used to shopping online, it gets hard to resist the urge to invest in a solid identity theft protection service. Otherwise, you need to monitor your credit reports and bank statements religiously.

The selection of anti-identity theft apps and services is ample. The benefits include timely notifications about suspicious charges and a faster way to report stolen cards or hacked accounts.

Teen online dating

One of the biggest issues with teen dating services is the mismatch between how easy “hooking up” is on these platforms and teens’ failure to appreciate the safety risks and privacy consequences.

Stalking, harassment, and sexting are topped by online predators frequenting teen dating sites specifically.

Apps like Yellow, Skout, Meetme, Mylol, Hotornot, Spotafriend and Tinder (yes, teens use Tinder and Badoo, too) have multiple privacy and security issues:

• Poor or no age verification protocols
• Explicit content in blog articles and forums
• Lax privacy protections
• Extensive use of location services

Parental control and monitoring apps and services

Apps like Net Nanny, Norton Family Premier, ESET Parental Control, Kaspersky Safe Kids, Surfie, and Qustodio allow parents to:

• Set up web filters to block inappropriate content.
• Set Internet usage and gaming time limits.
• Track their kids’ location.
• Block specific apps, including social media.
• Alert parents to offensive language and inappropriate content.
• Monitor their kids’ social networks and contacts, among other things.

Technology, when used appropriately, provides excellent benefits. But when it comes to teaching your kids cybersecurity and privacy, face-to-face interaction is essential because you need to embed trust into your relationship. No parental monitoring app can do that for you.