How To Make The Internet Experience Great And Safe For Your child?

Pandemic has changed the relationship between the screen and the child. The two spent a lot of 1x1 time with each other through the last two years. And so now online immersion has become the way of life for children. A Child spends a number of hours daily on various digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, computers as they surf the internet, play online games, use social media and engage in instant messaging. There is no doubt about the fact that the internet can be a place to help a child learn, grow, and experiment. However,excess of anything is harmful. Today, with easy access to the internet your child can fall prey to predators, identity thieves, and access-dark online destinations. . This Blog is a detailed take on understanding and calling out the challenges for parents and children and more importantly, answering a few important questions  related to a child’s internet safety. Here is what we will present answers to in this Blog 

1. What are the different types of challenges posed to a child’s safety online?

2. What are parents’ key concerns about their child’s internet safety?

3. How can we make a child aware about important internet safety pointers?

4. Who and What initiatives are being  taken to ensure  children’s safety on the internet?

In today’s time children are very thrilled about going online, using social media, watching movies, and also using the internet for educational purposes. However, simple and unintentional mistakes can lead to dangerous consequences. Therefore, it becomes very important to ensure that your child’s online activity is being constantly monitored so that even the parents are in loop about their child’s online safety. 

1. Challenges Faced By Children When It Comes To Internet Safety 

Before we get into the depth of the article, it is important to address various challenges and problems faced by children online. Some of the common challenges have been mentioned below-

a) Cyberbullying- The first challenge faced by children when it comes to internet safety is cyberbullying. Well, cyberbullying can be defined as a type of bullying that involves the use of digital technologies. Cyberbullying can happen across all digital platforms. It involves spreading lies or sharing embarrassing photos or videos of someone, sending abusive and threatening messages, impersonating someone or sending mean messages through fake accounts. 

b) Fake News And Information- It’s not a hidden fact that everything we see on the internet is not true. Therefore, another challenge that is commonly faced by the children is to decipher between fake news and a genuine one. With an endless number of sources available, it can be hard to know what is right and what is fake. 

c) Online Pornography- Online pornography and sexualised imagery can be easily available to children on the internet. So, proper monitoring is needed to see what your child is watching. 

d) Sexting- Sexting is another commonly encountered challenge by teens. Well, sexting can be defined as a process that involves the exchange of explicit messages and photos between children and their friends whom they meet online. Well, exploring relationships is a normal part of adolescent development, but sexting can create a number of problems for children. These are 4 of the common challenges encountered by children and adolescents when they are out there on the internet. Now let’s get to the point that what do parents think when it comes to the online safety of their children.

2. What Do Parents Think About Internet Safety?

Internet Safety has turned out to be one of the biggest concerns for the parents as today children spend a hefty amount of time on surfing and using the internet. You’d be surprised to know that around 84% of the parents around the world are worried about their children’s online safety as per the survey conducted by Kaspersky. To add to this, on an average parents only spend 46 minutes talking to their children about internet safety. And after this survey it was pointed out that-

• Around 60% of the parents cannot explain about the online internet safety to their children in simple terms. 

• 51% of the parents felt that their children were still not aware about how grave the situation is. 

Therefore, for parents it is very important that they should monitor their children’s online behavior and also see whom they meet, and talk to. For the parents to keep their children safe while using the internet, follow these helpful hacks-

1. You need to make your child aware that they should not share their personal details like their phone number, address, school address etc. 

2. Devote a good amount of time online in teaching your child about how to conduct oneself when online. 

3. Never allow your child to trade or share personal photographs. 

4. In case your child reports an uncomfortable online experience, take them seriously. 

5. Inform your child that they should never share their passwords with anyone including their friends or classmates. 

6. Educate your child about the fact that they should never meet anyone in person, especially whom they meet online. 

7. Teach your children about safe and responsible online behavior. 

3. How To Make Children Aware About the Growing Concerns Over Internet Safety?

The next thing that the parents need to do is to make sure that their children are made aware of the growing concerns over internet safety. And keeping this in mind, we have curated a list of helpful tips and tricks for your children-

a) Talk Openly With Your Child- The first and the foremost step is to talk to your child openly about the internet and its uses. As soon as the child starts using the internet, talk to them about what they are reading, watching, or who they are communicating with online. Ask your child about what websites they use or the apps they are on. Afterall, it is vital for the parents to teach their children about how to be careful and vigilant when interacting with people online. 

b) Monitor Your Child’s Screens and Devices- Always monitor your child’s online behavior and keep a tab on their daily activities. Whether your child is using a tab or a laptop, make sure it is kept at a central point where even you can access it. In case your child is using mobile devices, you can easily go on to the settings and select the option of forgetting Wi-Fi passwords and your children will not be able to go online without your permission. 

c) Know Your Children’s Online Friends- Being a parent it is your responsibility to know that with whom does your child interact with, and have a basic understanding about their online friends. Try to communicate and interact with your child’s online friends as this will give you a better clarity about them. 

d) Create Awareness About Location Settings- Another important hack for all the parents is to ensure that you teach your child about the importance of keeping their location private. Today, the majority of the apps come with a geo-tagging feature which can make your location public and someone can lead to you easily. So as parents teach your child that this particular location feature should be turned off for safety and privacy purposes. 

e) Lead By Example- Children always role model their parents. So, make sure that you lead a good example by monitoring healthy and decent online behavior. If your children see you being respectable online, they are more likely to follow your footsteps. And this also includes limiting your own screen time. 

4. Initiatives Taken By Google For Keeping Children Safe Online 

In this article we would like to talk about one such extensive program which was recently launched by Google. “Be Internet Awesome” will teach your kids about the basic fundamentals of digital citizenship, and safety so that they can explore the digital world with confidence. The basic components of the program are listed below-

a) Share With Care- This particular program component will encourage thoughtful sharing by treating online communication like face-to-face communication. It will also teach children about the importance of keeping your personal information private. 

b) Be Vigilant When On Internet- Another vital component of this program is to be very careful and vigilant when using the internet. In today’s time it has become vital to make children aware of the people and different situations online. Differentiating between what is fake and real is very important when it comes to online safety. 

c) Personal Privacy Matters- Personal privacy and safety is very important both online and offline. Safeguarding personal and valuable information will help your children be safe and secure online. 

d) Be Kind- The Internet has become a powerful tool and it can be a great amplifier and can be used to spread positivity and negativity both. Therefore, as parents you need to make your children aware about the fact that they should treat everyone equally and with kindness. 

e) Communicate More Often- Lastly, it is important for the kids to communicate with their parents with ease and confidence. And as parents you need to create a comfortable environment so that your children can talk to you about anything and everything with confidence. 

Wrapping Up 

As children grow older it can get tricky to monitor their online behavior. So, as parents, make sure that you talk to your child about the pros and cons of using the internet. Try to talk to them as friends by creating a positive and a friendly environment. Do not judge them when they come to you with a problem. Rather address those issues seriously and make your children aware about the possible dangers of the online world by citing real-life examples. Trust your children, and also make sure that you are up to date about all their online activities. 

Stay Safe!