Digital communication offers many incredible ways to communicate, discover, and share messages with others around the world. However there are risks inherent with conversations, social media, games, apps, and websites found online.
What are the best ways to keep kids safe online?
- As a parent or guardian, you should educate yourself about the risks for kids being online
- Appropriately educate your child about the risks for kids being online
- Engage and experience your child’s games, apps, and websites they visit
- Activate all child safety settings for your computer’s operating system, search engines, games and game consoles, and cellphones
- Set rules and enforce rules
- Establish limits for time online per day
- Follow your child on social media, but respect their space and be careful not to stalk them
- Encourage your child to behave as a good online citizen and to maintain a positive reputation
- Tell your child to NEVER share their passwords or personal information
- Encourage your child to share any questions they have or any unusual encounters they experience while online
- Keep devices in a common area of the home
- Engage a child in conversation about what they are and have been doing on the web
- Be a model of positive online behavior
- Encourage and engage in offline activities
You want to make being on the internet a positive experience for your child and for others, teaching them to be positive responsible online citizens.
Inspiration for this post:
Seven Steps to Good Digital Parenting
Dear Parents – a Message From Miss Florida 2015