Is your child demanding to have his/her personal phone at the age of 13?
Does your child insist on having a profile on social sites like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat?
Are you also constantly worried about your child’s increased use of social media?
Well, you are not alone!!!
Let’s face it….
Raising a child is no walk in the park especially in today’s digital world. We have to admit that our children are becoming more and more tech savvy everyday and keeping them away from social media is a constant challenge.
Social media is a huge part of today’s generation and it has several benefits like having the chance to instantaneously connect with the world around us, but also has innumerable risks associated with it. It’s essential for parents to remain vigilant towards their children’s online presence, they need to be a part of their child’s digital lives to prepare them for a life in the online realm.
You wouldn’t leave your child alone in a public place while you are off to shopping, will you? Then how can you leave them with no supervision in the big open space called Internet.
From cyberbullies to online predators, misuse of social network can have drastic consequences. Social media has the power to damage a person’s reputation (as something once posted can never be erased from the internet) or provide personal information to a wrong person (some apps may reveal your location to others which can increase the possibility of a physical encounter with the wrong person).
It’s important for parents to be aware of what their kids do online without alienating them, for this parents need to stay involved and respect their child’s privacy while keeping them safe. Your knowledge and supervision can provide a layer of protection to your child when they go online.
So, here are a few steps of digital parenting that every concerned parent needs to follow:
# Educate Yourself
Remember the time when we had only one or two social sites like orkut and facebook, well that’s not the case anymore. As a parent your first major task is to familiarize yourself with the sites out there, get to know which social apps are appropriate for your child, read the app reviews, age limits, terms and conditions. Set up your own account to experience the ins and outs of the site and it can help you in monitoring your child’s social behavior too.
# Age Limit
Did you know that every social site has a particular age limit set for their users? According to Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the user should be 13 or older to create an account on social sites, it’s true that many children who are far younger use these sites but this is where parents must enforce the rules by making sure that there ward is atleast 13 or older before having a social media account, you can use built in parental controls on your smartphone to safeguard your child.
#Ground Rules
Setting rules or guidelines can help instill positive social media habits in your child, take this as an opportunity to educate them about the do’s and don’ts of social media. It includes talking about screen time (how long children are allowed to use their phones as it must not hinder their studies and family/friends time) and about online safety (passwords, shared content, privacy settings). Have an agreement with them where they agree to protect their privacy and to not use technology to hurt others in the form of bullying, gossip, etc.
#Time Limits
Social media can absorb a lot of your time, minutes can turn into hours when using apps such as instagram, snapchat, twitter, etc. A social media schedule must be set to avoid using internet after bed time or during lunch hours. Deciding a healthy amount of screen time helps in keeping our childrens online habits in check. As access use of social media can lead of sleep deprivation, ADHD, obesity, headache, social depression, etc which is why your child must avoid spending all his/her free time online.
#Password
Instill the habit of setting strong passwords in your children as 12345 is not a good password, you don’t set such passwords to safeguard something important and let me remind you that your personal information & safety is of utmost importance. A strong password prevents hackers from using your account to post inappropriate content, gain access to your personal information or to impersonate you. Change your password every month to remain safe.
#Culture of Conversation
You cannot monitor your child’s social accounts 24/7 but you don’t need to, your child needs to know that he/she can confide in you without being judged or embarrassed about anything. For that you need to openly communicate with your child about the consequences of misusing social media platforms, ask them to inform you whenever they receive messages or invites from strangers or if someone is teasing/harassing them on online platforms as those could be signs of cyber-stalking.
#Guard yourself
Now-a-days people don’t conceal much, they post about their daily routines, what they are eating, what they are wearing, what their current location is on social sites. This induces a desire in our children to share everything about themselves on social platforms too but this is where parents need to draw a line. It’s important to make your child understand what kind of information (phone numbers, addresses, check-ins) is too much information online and why it must not be shared.
#Internet never Forgets
Children are generally drawn towards peer drama, blowing up social media with snarky comments and arguments, quickly posting pictures and videos without caring of consequences. An important lesson that parents need to teach their kids is that - “What goes online, stays online”, show your kids through examples that bad online behavior has serious aftereffects. Make them understand that they must not post anything that they don’t want their teachers, future employers, parents/grandparents to see.
#Stranger Danger
Most kids don’t realize the drastic consequences of social media, they underestimate how easily accessible their private information is and often forget that others are privy to their online activities. We teach our kids to avoid talking to strangers in real life but we must teach them to avoid strangers in online world too. Only add those people who you already know and think twice before posting a picture or sharing your location with others online. Privacy settings must be updated frequently as they exist to protect you from being ripped off, scammed, bullied or disrespected.
Navigating your child’s online presence may seem like a daunting task but it is necessary for the safety of your child and it can only be achieved by staying engaged with your children so that without being an overbearing parent you can keep an eye on your children while letting them enjoy what social media has to offer in a responsible way.
P.S. Teach your kids to be SMART......
