Today’s world is an increasingly digital one. While it’s important that your child learns how to navigate life online, it’s still your duty as a parent to protect them from digital dangers – the same way we’d teach them to look both ways before they cross the street.
Stranger Danger
For the same reasons we teach our kids not to talk to strangers in real life, we should extend that lesson to the internet. Make sure your child knows to never share personal information online, things like their address, phone number, or even where they go to school. It’s also important to be honest with your children about the potential dangers around this. Not everyone can be trusted, regardless of how well they think they might “know” the person they’re talking to. Also, not everyone is who they appear to be online.
Monitor Time Online
Next up, let’s talk about time! Digital devices are a great way to entertain as well as educate your child, but you don’t want them to spend an excessive amount of time online. If left unchecked, this could negatively impact their mental health, social development and even their physical health. Set clear limits on screen time and establish tech-free zones and times. Think “no devices at the dinner table”. These rules can always be adjusted as your child gets older.
Activate Safety Settings
There are many great paid apps parents can use to monitor, filter and limit their child’s experience online. A trusted free app, however, is Google Family Link. Simply install it on both your own and your child’s device to keep an eye on their location and get a broad overview of their online activity. Benefits include being able to set usage time limits for individual apps as well as overall screen time. You can even create a nightly “bed time” that still allows your child to make calls. The app also makes it easy to filter and block certain content and you’ll get an alert anytime your child wants to install an app as well as the ability to approve or block it.
Don’t Forget About The “Real” World
Having a digitally savvy child is great. Perhaps they’ll grow up and be the next Bill Gates? Still, remember to maintain a healthy balance of online and offline activities. Encourage your child to meet with their friends in real life, not just in chat rooms, and to pursue fun, physical activities, be it playing sports or enjoying arts and crafts. Offline activities will develop your child’s tactile skills that are fundamental to their development as well as their social skills.
Ultimately, parenting the online generation is all about allowing your child to explore the world online, but within limits and with rules that’ll help you to keep them safe – just as you would in the real world.
