During the chat, we admitted to our own blind spots, discussed the anxiety surrounding giving our kids access to technology and learned about the available tools to help safeguard our kids against the dark side of the digital world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We walked away with a wealth of information and thought it was only right to share our findings with all of you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lauren: <\/b>Online Safety is a massive responsibility for platforms and parents. At Google, we\u2019re focused on safeguarding our users, especially families and young people, through a couple of key ways:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lauren: <\/b>\u00a0When I speak with other parents, the most common question I encounter is how to navigate online safety. I find it helpful to share my own family\u2019s approach, while acknowledging that every household’s needs will vary based on children\u2019s ages, interests, maturity and parental comfort levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I have two children aged nine and five, each with distinct personalities and preferences. With the help of our useful tools, their online experiences are tailored to their individual ages and interests, emphasizing age appropriate content for a secure environment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n My online safety control room is <\/span>Family Link<\/b><\/a>, which basically helps you stay in the loop on everything your kids do online. You can manage screentime limits, see their app activity and even manage the apps they download in the Google Play Store. It’s an effective way to help children learn, explore and have fun while providing parents with guidance and control – it\u2019s also free!<\/span><\/p>\n On YouTube, there are two options:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond these tools, co-watching YouTube with our kids has proven invaluable, fostering open conversations about online safety and critical thinking. We also keep devices in common areas which helps us keep an eye on the content and encourages parent-child discussion about online content.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lauren: <\/b>When I think about screentime, I prioritize content <\/span>quality<\/span><\/i> alongside content time<\/span>. <\/b>For example,\u00a0 my eldest child has used YouTube to learn incredible things, like Java programming, explore Japanese culture and how to draw some of his favourite super heroes. However, as parents, we understand the complexities of screen time. The key is establishing healthy boundaries that work for you and your family.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Having a plan helps with consistency and setting everyone’s expectations. For example in our house, weekday mornings are all for 30 minutes of screentime while I get ready and get breakfast on the table. Another screen time window is in the evening when I\u2019m preparing dinner, followed by no-screens after dinner until bed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n During the weekend, we follow a similar schedule as during the week, but we usually extend for a bit more time in the morning. On airplanes however, they get unlimited supervised content (it\u2019s a win for all of us!). <\/span>Family Link<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>YouTube Kids<\/a> are instrumental in managing all these parameters.<\/b><\/p>\n A plan is helpful but life is unpredictable, when someone is sick these rules may look different. Every family and situation is different, and you need to find what works for you.\u00a0 Establishing healthy boundaries around screen time is an ongoing process but it\u2019s so worth it.<\/p>\n Lauren:\u00a0 <\/b>This is such an important conversation. I\u2019d like to share a tip from our <\/span>Be Internet Awesome<\/strong><\/span><\/a> program, which teaches kids about the basics of digital safety and citizenship. We have a saying in our house that comes from the program: “When in doubt, talk it out.” If our kids see something online that feels wrong or makes them uneasy, they know to immediately talk to Mom, Dad, or another trusted adult. We’ve openly discussed with them that the internet is vast, and they might encounter things they shouldn’t. We’ve also talked about ways to protect themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s a few ways to protect your kids from seeing adult content:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For more on this, I highly recommend checking out our <\/span>\u201c<\/b>Be Internet Awesome<\/b><\/a>\u201d<\/b> program which is packed with different, kid friendly activities centered around sharing information responsibly, helping kids identify scams and misinfo, promoting positive online interactions and encouraging kids to talk to a trusted adult when they encounter something uncomfortable online. I’ve found it extremely helpful!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Lauren: <\/b>The internet is an ever-evolving space and we\u2019re always working on ways to make the online world safer and more helpful for families. I\u2019ll share two I’m particularly excited about.<\/span><\/p>\n In collaboration with our <\/span>Youth and Families Advisory Committee<\/span><\/a> we\u2019re using machine learning to reduce teens seeing too many videos on topics like body image, which can be harmful if viewed repeatedly. <\/span>These insights led us to <\/span>develop additional safeguards<\/span><\/a> for content recommendations. It\u2019s a great example of how we\u2019re constantly evolving to an ever-changing landscape to keep young people safe online. The second is our education and outreach efforts. We\u2019re working to bring the <\/span>Be Internet Awesome<\/b><\/a> program to more schools and communities so even more kids can learn essential digital safety skills.<\/span><\/p>\n *<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to learn more about digital safety for kids, check out Google\u2019s Be Internet Awesome<\/a> program and our recent posts about How to Give Kids a Healthy Start with Phones<\/a> and Strategies to Support Healthy Media Experiences for Kids<\/a>. You can also head over to Instagram<\/a> where we\u2019ve shared simple how-tos on setting up safety features like Family Link and Supervised Experience for YouTube.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The post Recap: Internet Safety – A Fireside Chat with Google Canada\u00a0<\/a> appeared first on THE REBEL MAMA<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/therebelmama.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0745-480x600.jpg\")
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\nThe Rebel Mama: <\/b>We know technology is integrated into our lives and our kids’ lives, and while this is a very real reality, it\u2019s also an overwhelming one… What are Google’s top priorities when it comes to keeping families safe online?<\/b><\/h1>\n\n
The Rebel Mama: <\/b>We canvassed our community on the top subjects that parents were concerned about, and the top answers were safety, security and privacy. Can you share a few practical tips that parents can implement today for better safety and security immediately?\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\n
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\nThe Rebel Mama: <\/b>And what about screentime? We know that monitoring is one part of it, but what else can we be doing to set up healthy barriers for time spent on screens?<\/b><\/h1>\nThe Rebel Mama: <\/b>We want to touch on some of the darker elements of online safety – which as parents, keep us up at night. Specifically around what conversations should parents have with their children about adult content and how to ensure they aren\u2019t seeing adult content?<\/b><\/h1>\n
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\nThe Rebel Mama:<\/b>\u00a0 Can you share anything coming down the pipeline at Google or YouTube that people can look forward to that will impact this space?<\/b><\/h1>\n
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