*This is a collaborative post.
In this day and age, technology can be found in every household, and nearly every member has their own device. Social media has followed suit as a popular form of interacting with friends and strangers. Most teens have access to some form of social media in order to keep up with friends and new trends. They use these sites for hours a day and have access to many things that may not be age appropriate. Social media has its benefits, but it also has many risks. Here are some ways to teach your child the proper use of social media.
Social media is great for keeping in touch with family and friends, researching new topics, and enhancing creativity through art and music.It’s also a great way to instantly connect with programs that help GCSE and A Levels. However, if used in the wrong way, it can become a hub for cyberbullying and other inappropriate activities. Many online teens will use their real names and post pictures of themselves while revealing where they live. This can make them easy targets for predators. A common way for young people to visit websites that are inappropriate for their age is to lie about their age, which is a direct way of exposing themselves to someone who could mean harm.
So what can parents do?
Be friendly when you approach your child.
Make it clear that they shouldn’t be scaring or bullying anyone online, even if they feel threatened. Respect is something your child needs to maintain, even when they communicate behind a screen, which can be a source of confidence for some.
Tell them to think twice.
Uploads can be impulsive, especially on platforms where posts disappear after 24 hours. Tell your kids to be careful who can see their location and post their home address. Exposure to a vacant home is also dangerous, as this is an opportunity for a potential robber attack.
Create a child-safe profile
A profile is a public representation of oneself on the Internet. It’s important to pay attention to the information your child shares on their profile.
You have to be realistic, there are many reasons why kids need an online profile, such as games, learning resources, web services, and more.
Helping your child build an online profile will allow them to take full advantage of internet services in a safe way.
Use privacy settings.
Most teens care about how many views, likes, and followers they have, which is why they make their profiles public. Explain that their safety is more valuable than the number of people following them, and that they should be careful making friends with any strangers, no matter how friendly they seem. Passwords should be secure and not shared with anyone, not even friends or partners.
Social media is something you can’t keep your kids away from, so having rules in place will ensure your kids use it safely.
You might also like these posts – The Essential Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe Online, Children spend too much time online and Fun computer skills to teach kids.
