Five practical ways to help your kids safely navigate the internet

“Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral”

It was Melvin Kranzberg who first identified the cycle that all new technologies tend to go through: first, unbridled enthusiasm as we imagine that it could solve the world’s problems; then, backlash and fear as we start to see its unintended consequences; and, finally, a balanced integration into everyday society. Technology can be a force for good or evil, depending on the choices we make and our relationship with it.

Despite the fact that Kranzberg died in 1995, he painted an extraordinarily accurate picture of the digital age we live in. The internet made all the world’s knowledge widely available and then enabled widespread misinformation. Social media was designed to connect the world, but it has left young people feeling lonelier. And that’s before we even go down the AI rabbit hole…

I’m sure everyone has come across social commentary about the wonders and perils of our online lives at some point. But if you are a parent, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Because when the fragile young minds in question are our own, these conversations hit differently.

The internet is awash with parental angst

According to a recent study, a whopping 75% of British parents are concerned about what their children are seeing, hearing, or doing online.* And is it any wonder?

There’s the impact of social media on young people’s mental health as algorithms feed them increasingly niche content about eating disorders, the manosphere, and suicide. There’s the bullying that no longer stops at the school gates but follows them home via their phones. Looking beyond social media, there is a large and growing body of research about the effects of screen time on brain development. And inappropriate content is never more than a few innocent clicks away. As parents, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed.

It’s tempting to disconnect entirely and go off grid – tempting, but unrealistic. Besides, we wouldn’t want our children to miss out on the educational, social, and emotional development the internet affords, and we can’t shield them forever.

But how do we balance the immense potential of the internet with its dangers? Is the balanced integration Melvin Kranzberg talked about even possible?

We can’t rid the internet of its evils, but we can help you control it

For good or evil, the internet isn’t going anywhere. Now for some happier news: there are tools that can help you take charge of the relationship your children have with it. These are things we think about constantly here at Rebel, and we are proud to bring our customers solutions that make their lives easier. That’s why we’ve incorporated state-of-the-art Wi-Fi controls into all of our packages with our free Home Wi-Fi App.

Here are some of the features that help parents specifically as they navigate these choppy waters, and how you can adopt some of these principles even if you’re not a Rebel customer.

Five practical ways to help your kids navigate the internet safely

1. Content Control. In your app, set up user profiles and assign everybody’s devices to a profile (it’s useful to have a household profile for shared devices). It will ask you to select what level of content filtering each profile should have, and these rules will then apply to all their assigned devices.
   
   
2. Adblocking. We all know what it’s like to be subject to the ‘pester power’ of advertising via our children. And nowadays, the internet is awash with inappropriate, unregulated ads. In Plume Home, you can turn on adblocking in just one click to stop malicious marketers accessing your children and your wallet.
   
   
3. Focus. One of our favourite features, this allows you to limit access to certain devices or apps for a period of time, so there are no distractions during homework or dinner. No more ‘I’ve almost finished this level’ or ‘I have to reply to this DM’ excuses – you may also find it useful for working parents! You can turn on Focus for specific users from the home screen in Plume Home.
4. Timeouts. Temporarily block internet access entirely on their devices, so you can manage screentime and ensure there’s no doomscrolling after dark. Again, start a Timeout directly from your home screen.

5. It’s good to talk. Whether you are a Rebel customer or not, talking to your kids about what they are seeing online and how they feel about it is free.

Making parenting a little easier

There are no easy answers to parenting in the digital age, but there are ways to find peace of mind. If you’re already a Rebel customer, check out our Knowledge Hub for more step-by-step guides. If only all of parenting were so simple!

If you’re not a Rebel customer yet, we hope you’ve still found this article useful. You can adjust some content settings on individual devices or apps, or purchase adblocking software that works across your whole network. Focus and Timeouts are trickier – you may have to physically banish devices at certain points in the day. At Rebel, we make all of this easier for you with our free Home Wi-Fi App. When you’re ready, click the link below to join the Rebellion.

* Ipsos UK, 2025