Terri Ramsey Beavers My grandkids believe themselves old enough to have their own email, but until now, I’ve been really concerned about their online exposure as well as them opening attachments that could potentially be carrying a virus or lead them to a site they shouldn’t be on. I worry about their online exposure because you just never know who is on the other end of our monitors.
I decided to look into a kids email and I finally set the girls up with KidsEmail. I’ve been playing around with it and I’ve become familiar with it and how it works to keep the kids safe. Having tried KidsEmail at kidsemail.org I decided it wasn’t such a bad idea, after all, to let them have their own email accounts. Everything looked safe and kosher and it feels great to let the kids expand their techno knowledge but in a safe way. Now, when they’re not here, we can email each other and I feel more in touch with them even though they’re miles away.
Setting up the email accounts was super simple. In my demonstration screenshots, I set up 2 email accounts, one for Abs and one for Aly. I’m still working on their contact list (with help from them). I want them to be able to email all of our family members and their school friends especially now, during the summer months so they don’t lose touch with each other. I even changed the theme background for each child. They will be able to do this themselves and they can change it as often as they like.
The first thing I did was select no attachments. I don’t feel comfortable with them receiving attachments yet. I’ll change that as they get older and if they show me they are responsible. I also selected to only allow emails from their contacts, who I added, so I feel completely safe with their new email accounts.
I love that I can set email time restrictions on each child according to what I feel is a reasonable amount of time to spend composing and sending emails. Right now they don’t have a time limit (I will allow their parents to decide that) but if they start staying online for hours and hours when they’re here, I will add a time restriction. I also like that I can ground the kids (if I have to) for a specific amount of time, from their KidsEmail accounts.
On the flip side, I like that the kids can have access to their email accounts even on the go with the free KidsEmail app available for download on Amazon. We all have a Kindle Fire HDX and they also have android tablets as well. The app is available for both and is compatible with iPad and other devices.
I had two options to select which type of child management I want and for Aly, I selected an older child option, and for Abs the simple email. Aly is older than Abs. This email service is suitable for kids as well as teens.
Aly’s…
Abs…
If you have children or know someone who does, you can try KidsEmail for 30 days free. You do not need a credit card for the Free Trial of Kids Email. KidsEmail is kid-safe certified and as I stated above, I feel confident that I’m allowing the kids to learn about technology in a safe environment.
How old are your kids? Do you allow them to use an email service?
I think screen time is important for kids but it is also important to monitor and limit