Growing up in an increasingly digital world, more and more children are becoming adept at technology from an early age. Social media platforms have become integrated into the lives of our younger generations. There are significant benefits to using social media, such as maintaining friendship, collaborating with classmates after school, exploring interests and connecting with like-minded peers. However, online exposure comes with some dangers too. Kids might stumble onto inappropriate content, overshare information with strangers, and run the risk of experiencing cyberbullying. Thankfully, there are ways for parents to mitigate these risks and ensure their kids post safely on social media platforms.
WHAT YOU CAN DO AS A PARENT
- Communication is critical. Encourage your child to raise the issue with you or an adult at school if someone on the internet is continuously making them feel uncomfortable, upset, or scared.
- Familiarise yourself with the applications and websites your child finds interesting. Check what kind of content is on them and the age requirement.
- Look at the privacy and security settings. All social media platforms offer ways of protecting accounts and keeping one’s profile private. Facebook, for example, lets you control who can see your photos and posts or send you friend requests.
- Set clear rules for using technology at home and renegotiate them together as your child ages. Try to find a balance between monitoring online activities and respecting your kid’s autonomy. Too restrictive rules might only encourage a child to break them.
- Educate your child on safe online behaviour. Explain the dangers of connecting with strangers and sharing personal information like age or address. Teach them to think before sharing a picture or video, posting online, or messaging someone. Emphasise that content they put online can be quickly seen by multiple users and shared further, making it hard to remove later.
- Model good online behavior.
- Follow your child on social media, but keep in mind that children sometimes create a second account to hide from family members.
- Ask your child to update you on anything they’ve seen interesting on social media
- Set parental controls.
- Watch for signs that something might be wrong. Sudden changes in habits, moods, or behaviour are a cause for concern.
Modern parenting can sometimes feel extra challenging because of technology, but it doesn’t have to be. For the most part, you can apply the same parenting methods as in a real or offline environment. Talk openly with your child, be supportive and enthusiastic about their interests, set rules, and teach them how to behave properly. As long as your kid exercises safe behaviour online, the benefits of technology and social media greatly outweigh the potential dangers.
