Finally, you need to lead by example. If you are planning to make sure your kid does not become addicted to tech gadgets, then you yourself should not be addicted to them either. Telling you kid about the ill effects of addiction to these gadgets and then using your phone 150 times a day will not make the point come across effectively.
How to keep your child safe online?
We live in a world where almost everything is done on the internet. From making our booking and reservations to shopping, everything is now possible on the internet. In this day and age, it is a little naive to expect our children to not be on the internet. In many cases, our young children end up knowing a lot more about the internet than we ourselves do. Knowing this, it becomes our priority to make sure that our kids stay safe online. Here are some points that can help you look out for your child’s best interest when it comes to his/her internet usage –
Have a conversation with them –
It is reported that on an average, children and young adults spend about 12 hours every week on the internet. As such, it becomes important to talk to your child about the negative effects of the internet and about different precautions that they should take in order to be safe.
Explore the internet with each other –
The internet is a vast place. You should ask your child what all they like doing on the internet and develop an interest in it. Exploring the internet with them and finding out what their favorable things to do online are will help you keep a tab on their activities.
Know who your child is communicating with –
The third thing to do is to have a clear idea about who your child is communicating with on the internet. It is very easy for someone to pretend to be someone else and trick your child into communicating with them. As such, it is absolutely crucial to always keep an eye on who your kid is talking to online.
Have pre-determined rules set –
The type of websites they will be allowed to access, the amount of time they will spend on the internet, the social networks they can and cannot use, all of this needs to be discussed with them. It is also important to tell them about the type of content they should be able to post online.
Make sure they have access to age appropriate content only –
From games and movies to videos and websites, everything has an age rating and minimum age to sign up. You should ensure that your child is sticking to this and not accessing any content that is not age appropriate. After all, age limits are only there to keep your child safe.