How to Check Internet Browser Histories
Filed under: Expert Advice: Tweens, Expert Advice: Teens
At Common Sense, we often recommend checking your tweens' and teens' browser histories. But what exactly does that mean? It's simple, really. So simple your kids know how to do it but you may not.
Let's start with "What's a browser?" A browser is what you use to interface with the Internet. The most used browser is Internet Explorer, followed by Mozilla Firefox and then Safari. To see where your kids have been online, simply open your browser and move your curser over to the little arrow to the arrow to the right of the long bar and see where your kids have gone.
Internet Explorer will show you fewer destinations than Firefox, which has a history Tab in the menu -- in fact, you can see huge histories. So, if you are concerned about your kids' online activities, you might want to download Firefox (it's free) and set it as your default browser (don't worry, it will ask you if you want to do that).
Just three other things to be aware of: If a kid navigates somewhere from Google, it won't show up in the history. Only Google will. Kids sometimes use multiple browsers, so check them all. And If you see no history, that means your kids have erased it. Covering their tracks probably means they've been somewhere they think you don't want them to go. That means it's time for a really good conversation about what you think is appropriate in your house.
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