Carole Nickerson

My son is 3 and is quickly mastering the internet. At the rate
he's going, he's soon going to have his own blog! But the other
day I was caught off guard when I noticed he had found his way
to my website. Practically breaking my wrist to stop his click
madness, I then realized just how easy it would have been for
him to start clicking on my Adsense ads. Thankfully I was able
to stop him before he did, because if I had turned away for a
second - I'm sure he would have delivered a fateful click.







I got to thinking about it, did a little research, and found
that nobody seems to be talking about it - at least not enough.
I have often heard of people scratching their heads wondering
why their Adsense accounts and other types of ad network
accounts were shut down and have to wonder how many of them have
kids which may have played a role. Google has no way of telling
whether it's you clicking on the ads or your child, and since it
is against their terms for you to click on your own ads - you
can bet your account will be shut down accordingly.







Prevention and careful monitoring are key in making sure your
toddler doesn't go click-crazy on your ads. Here are some tips:







- Download a different browser just for them which contains no
access to your bookmarks or site links. Fill it with child
friendly bookmarks and emphasize that it is your child's own
"special browser" so they will have less desire in using yours.



- Make sure your browser, email and other "access points" are
closed or hidden away when the child is playing games.



- Check the location bar in your browser. If you have urls
saved there, this can be easy access to any of the sites you've
visited including your own. Clean it out, and if possible,
adjust your browser settings to disable saving this information.



- Clear the history cache every time before your child uses the
computer.



- Don't leave any shortcuts on your desktop that offer easy
access to pages you want to keep your child away from.



- If your browser offers settings or filters for blocking
access to web sites - use them. You can always turn them back on
later.



- Don't leave the computer unattended with your child around.
They are quick and sneaky when they want to be.



- Don't underestimate your child. They know more than they let
on.



- Toddlers and small children should be monitored at all times
on the internet, not just because of accidental ad clicks, but
to make sure they avoid dangerous and adult content which is a
parent's worst nightmare.







Watch those little clickers!











About the author:


Carole Nickerson has been a webmaster and internet marketer
since 1998. You can visit her new blog for more posts like this
one at: http://www.CaroleNickerson.com





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