Need for parental supervision in the digital age
The Internet has become a necessary part of human philosophy for everyone, even children who tend to explore cyberspaces and digital devices. Everyone deserves the freedom to use the internet freely. But what if children were to use them freely?
It is important for parents to tag along and monitor while their children explore the digital space. Parents are left to figure out how to help raise children with a culture of normalcy while keeping them away from the negative impacts of digital exposure.
The internet provides profuse resources in terms of fun content and games, educational resources, and connective links to people around the world which kids have access to and some of which can be harmful and inappropriate for kids to access, or cyberbullies who threaten and harass kids online. These can create a dangerous effect on a child’s physical and emotional well-being and safety. Also, children can get really attached to the online world or digital devices which can lead to online/ digital gadget addiction causing a depreciating loss in physical connections or interest in the offline world. Thus it’s important for parents to oversee the online activities their children engage in to help protect them from inappropriate activities and resources online, and also monitor the time their children spend online and limit it so as to prevent online addiction.
Ways to keep children safe online
Liaise with your child on what they are doing online and why. Put rules in place and communicate the importance of the rules. Also, keep talking, since your child can obtain more liberty and power as they grow. If they feel comfortable with these conversations, they’d open up to you when they come across inappropriate content and cyberbullies. While keeping kids safe, be a good example with your own Internet habits, since your child is in no doubt to copy your etiquette.
These key rulings solicit keeping kids safe online.
- Check kids browsing history: checking kids browsing history helps parents to know Where and How their children surf the web and monitor their activities. Checking their browses give insight into what kids are trying to explore, find and learn on the internet. Also, communicating your findings to your kids serenely and comfortably will allow them to open up to you as a parent when they come across sensitive and inappropriate information online.
- Limited web and digital device time: it’s known that kids love the internet and tend to get attached to various websites, platforms, and games on the web space and gadgets which has positive impacts and also negative impacts on them. Too much screen time is said to affect health and apart from health defects, too much time on the web and digital devices will lead to addiction it’s up to parents to set limited access to the web space and kids’ digital devices so as to enable them to be less attracted to it and also give a chance to offline activities and connections.
- Set up and keep kids’ gadgets and devices in sight: when kids are on the webspace or using their computers and other digital gadgets, parents should ensure that it’s within their sight. Kids are less likely to browse or explore questionable content when they know their parents would walk in on them any second or are even around them. This helps monitor the time spent online and the kind of online activities they engage in.
- Set up parental control features and software on devices: Parental controls are useful software and features on devices that allow parents indirect access to the internet, devices, and kids’ online activities. This will help parents to keep track of what their children are doing online and on their devices at all times, with this parents can monitor all their children’s doings both online and offline digitally, protecting them from inappropriate online and offline digital engagements, resources, and activities also protecting them from cyberbullies and sexual contents.
- Some Software like Qustodio, lets you set time restrictions on mobile devices and desktop apps. Google family link is also a very useful app that parents can install on their children’s mobile devices both IOS and Android. The application allows parents to restrict content, text messages, SMS text, and social media text, approve or disapprove apps, set screen times, block some activities, and more.
It’s good for parents to create a set of rules to safeguard their children from doing certain things online. The language they shouldn’t use online should be communicated to them with some warnings and reasons as to why they shouldn’t. Also, kids should be warned against exchanging things like personal information online and parents should also communicate the negative consequences of doing that.
We can conclude that it’s important for parents to safeguard their children in this digital world or age where anything and everything is accessible on the internet which most of them is inappropriate for kids. Also safeguarding kids from online bullies and digital addiction helps their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
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