How to ensure safety when using a computer

How you and your child can be safe while using a computer.

What do you think can make a computer risky to anyone?

The use of computers, though not widely considered hazardous, can pose risks to both children and adults. These risks include physical hazards, such as accidents resulting from improper computer use, and health hazards, such as repetitive strain injury, strained eyes, and stress.

There are various precautions that can be taken to ensure safety. Some of these are discussed below:

1. Children must be supervised when using computers to ensure that they do not access unsuitable adult material or give away personal details on the internet. To ensure internet safety, home and school internet contracts should be put in place, and internet material should be previewed before use.

2. Computers should be situated in public areas with screen content visible to everyone, and children should be taught how to use the internet safely. It is essential to have clear penalties in place for misuse of the internet, to monitor the time children spend online, and to purchase filtering software. In addition, websites should be designed in such a way that no individual child could be identified and subsequently contacted by visitors to the site.

3. To avoid physical hazards, computers should be treated as electrical equipment and not as toys. Tips to minimize risks include siting the computer near an electric socket to avoid trailing wires across the floor, regularly checking electrical equipment for damaged plugs or frayed cables, and not allowing children to move computers.

4. Health risks can be minimized by following advice such as avoiding RSI by organizing workloads, adopting good posture, and resting the eyes while working on the computer.

5. Children's exposure to technology can offer opportunities for families to enrich their child's capacity to understand emotions, feelings, and moral values, but it is important to discuss feelings, emotions, and behavior in a family context.

As we all know, too much of anything is poisonous. It is important to regulate what your child consumes from the internet and other sites. This can be made possible by monitoring what they do or moderating the frequency at which they access the internet.

Author:
Francis Onyach; writer, artist, digital marketer and software engineer.