Exploring Internet Safety with Your Child
There are undoubtedly many positive attributes to the Internet. It gives us an opportunity to retrieve information promptly to help with our learning, while also enabling us to stay connected with friends and family all around the world. Nevertheless, there are also lots of dangers lurking within the Internet, especially for young people who are naïve to certain threats. With that said, parents are rightfully concerned about their children’s wellbeing with regards to Internet usage.
When your child starts using modern technology to access the Internet, such as smartphones, tablets or computers, it’s important for parents to sit them down, one-to-one, and discuss the risks involved so that they can learn to be more responsible. I have teamed up with a private school in Surrey to help parents understand how to explore internet safety with their kids.
It would be wise to begin by educating yourself as much as possible on the ins and outs of Internet safety so that you’re in a position to give your child some informed advice. There are various resources online that explore topics from scamming to cyberbullying. Find out what sorts of websites and apps your child is likely to be using and whether or not they are age appropriate. When you’re ready, you can approach the subject with your youngster.
There are some topics that you may not wish to chat to your child about, depending on their age, such as paedophilia, but it’s up to you what you disclose and how much you think they’re ready for. You can skirt around the subject by explaining to them that there are lots of dangerous people on the Internet who pretend to be friendly just so that they can inflict harm on others. With that in mind, your child needs to know that they should never talk to strangers online, share personal information such as their home or school address or post inappropriate pictures.
Encourage your child to set any social media profiles they have to private so that they can filter who is seeing the content they’re sharing. Your child may want to ask some questions, which you should answer as truthfully as you can. It’s also important to monitor what social networks, chat rooms or games your child is using and make sure that you have suitable parental controls in place.
Essentially, you need to make sure there are some strict rules in place. For instance, some parents prefer their children to only use digital devices whilst they’re in a communal part of the home, rather than being locked in their bedroom where you can’t monitor what they’re doing. If you require some more support, don’t be afraid to contact your child’s school to find out what they are doing to promote positive, responsible use of the Internet.
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