Teaching Your Child About Internet Safety
As a parent, you might be wondering how you can conceivably supervise your child’s Internet usage, and as they grow, protect their reputations online.
While parental controls and content management apps are fantastically helpful, you will also have to rely to some extent on a decent education and open communication within your family home to keep your youngster out of trouble on the World Wide Web.
I have teamed up with an independent school in Hampshire to offer you the following advice.
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Learn About the Internet
You can’t hope to teach your child about Internet safety if you don’t understand it yourself. In fact, they might actually know more about the Internet than you.
With that said, make sure you do your research on various topics, from cyberbullying to privacy, so that when the time comes to talk to your child, you will be fully clued up.
Once you know what you’re talking about, it would be wise to have frequent conversations with your child; one long chat will not be sufficient. You need to check in with them on a regular basis to make sure they are ok and subtly reinforce acceptable behaviour on the Internet.
How much you choose to share with your child about the dangers of the Internet is entirely your call and depends on things like your child’s age and emotional maturity.
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Establish Some Rules
When it comes to screen time and Internet usage, there should be some very clear-cut rules that your child cannot find a way around. Make sure they have a list of apps and websites that are off limits and a list they are allowed to use. Other important rules include things like “never meet up with someone you’ve met online” and “never share private information or photos online”.
You should also make sure your child knows when they should and should not be using their digital devices. For instance, you might want them to switch off all technology after 8pm so that they have chance to wind down before bed. Another rule could be that no phones can be used at the dinner table unless there is an emergency.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.