To explore the Web without too much risk, there is a whole range of tools, free and easy to learn.
Today, it is estimated that 42% of children spend more than 4 hours a week on the Internet. For many, the practice has intensified with the pandemic and successive lockdowns: to stay in touch with loved ones, have fun or take online courses, children and teenagers have had to resolve to go through screens. The problem is that they are not always aware of the risks they may incur by browsing the Web.
Safer Internet Day, whose 18th edition we are celebrating on February 9th, aims to raise awareness among young people, but also adults, about these risks.
Parents can act first, but 68% of them believe that it is up to teachers to train students on the subject, according to the French Federation of Telecoms. Awareness-raising workshops on the use of the Internet can be organized in class. Whether you fall into the first or second category, the following tools will certainly be useful to you.
The first step is to open a dialogue with children. To do this, we recommend the videos of “Internet without fear”, and the fun games of the platform. Funded by the European Union, its role is to provide resources to appropriate issues around the Internet, such as “fake news”.
The Super-Julie.fr site tests mobile or tablet applications aimed at children, and assigns them ratings, based on their quality and reliability. The results can be filtered according to the type of application, and the age of the children concerned.
On the same principle, you can consult the souris-grise.fr site and follow its recommendations, such as the game Busy Water, ideal to soothe the little ones.
The gateway to the Internet is the search engine. It is therefore essential to choose one that respects the privacy of children, and offers them adapted content. Qwant Junior is designed especially for them, and for teachers. It makes it possible to explore the web more safely, in a healthy, free, and ad-free environment. It does not use any cookies, and content that is unsuitable for children is blocked. Conversely, it highlights educational content recommended by the National Education for their recognized pedagogical side, especially on the “Education” tab.
Qwant Junior is available from a smartphone, or a tablet.
Because children like to do everything like grown-ups, they sometimes want to exchange with their classmates via messaging. Mailo Junior is a free mailbox, which will allow them to have their own mailbox.
Like Qwant Junior, this French service is committed to protecting the privacy of its users. The interface allows parents to control the email addresses with which the child can exchange, thus avoiding spam, or messages from strangers. No ads on this tool either!
This time, it’s a messaging specifically designed for classes. It works a bit like WhatsApp, and allows teachers to communicate with parents, in a free, secure and ad-free environment.
The encyclopedia Universalis has existed since 1968 and has already brought together more than 7,400 specialist authors. It is aimed at everyone and in particular at the world of education, thanks to its declination for children which contains many graphics and images. It is used by nearly 3 million students and teachers worldwide.
Bonus: the service is free if you use it from Qwant Junior! It will then appear at the top of the results, and you will have access to all its content!
