Nowadays, most children are spending quite a lot of time online. It has become a habit for parents to keep their children busy with electronic gadgets and online whilst they are attending to other things. Hence, it is very crucial to make sure that these young ones are not getting exposed to harmful content and are not experiencing cyberbullying. Being online has a lot of benefits like staying connected with friends and family. However, children may have negative experiences too if care is not taken.
USE TECHNOLOGY.
Use parental controls to keep your children away from harmful content. Teach your children about the importance of keeping private information safe and never expose it unnecessarily. Let them learn about privacy settings and how they help to keep personal information secure. Your child’s devices must run on latest software with privacy settings on and configured. Verify the authenticity of online resources, and make sure they are on trusted websites.
You can choose who you want to see what you post on social media and your personal details. It is also wiser not to share your location. Never show or share your passwords with anyone as well as your physical address and banking details. Before accepting any friend request make sure to check the profile of the person just to get an idea of who they are.
SET RULES FOR THEIR INTERACTION ONLINE.
Set the dos and don’ts for your kids in an educative manner so that they know what to do and how to do it in a safe manner. Explain to them reasons to why they should follow those rules because kids are always curious. Explain to them the importance of leaving a positive digital footprint by being mindful of what they post or share online. They should not use hurtful language online or spread wrong information as well as displaying discriminatory or inappropriate contact. Encourage your kids to speak up whenever they experience something negative online.
Another way to help your children follow the set rules is by spending time with them online. be there with them when you are interacting online. That way they see and learn how you do it. help them to recognise adverts and explore together what may be wrong with some of the negative content or messages that pop up when they are online. Identify age appropriate games and applications together with your child.
LIMIT THE TIME THEY SPEND ONLINE.
Never allow your child to spend all their time online. Get them involved in offline activities so they can stay active physically and balance their social life as well as sharpening their social skills. Spare some time to spend with them away from the screen. Play some educative games, go for a walk or go shopping together just to keep them busy away from their gadgets. If possible manage and balance the content they watch for it is possible to watch and exercise as well as learn at the same time.