Young parents nowadays have a completely different challenge than their own parents had during their upbringing and that is the internet. Parents nowadays realize that the internet is a digital playground that is many times more dangerous than the playground on the corner.
As a modern parent, how do we deal with these systems and the potential dangers that they entail? If you ask yourself which dangers then this is a brief list of possible dangers for children on the internet.
- Online bullying or being bullied
- Dangerous contacts (people going after young children)
- Access to adult content, world issues, violence, etc.
- Dealing with privacy on social media
- Viruses and other things that can cause damage
These dangers are real and can affect your child. The consequences vary from annoying to invasive.
How to monitor social media use
When your child starts playing with the phone and the internet for the first time, it is important that you as a parent sit down and watch. While watching, you can give instructions on how to use it and teach your child how to do it and whatnot. In addition, you can immediately provide tips and explanations about the correct use of the computer. When your children are young, the use is still reasonably controllable, but when they get their own smartphone, it becomes a bit more difficult. A solution would be to track your child’s social media activities and learn how to track iPhone messages. It is very important to provide good information and to agree on a number of basic rules. Many parents are not aware of their child’s internet and social media use. When you are able to track messages you can protect your kids from suspicious conversations, prevent online bullying or sexting.
Why children play with their phone or tablet from a young age
Children start asking for the tablet or phone at a young age. Why, because they copy that from their parents. In addition, parents are often tempted to borrow these devices to keep the children entertained and calm. In some cases, the first contacts with tablets and phones already take place before the first year of life. Of course, it starts innocently and completely in a controlled environment. Between the 4th and 6th year of life, children will start experimenting more. Teach them that the internet can be a dangerous place, just like in the “real” world.
