Teaching Your Kids About Internet Safety*
If your child as a smart phone, or any device that can be connected to the internet, it is important that you have a frank conversation with them about using the World Wide Web responsibly and safely. Obviously the internet has a huge range of advantages; sadly, we’d be lost without it. However, it can also be very dangerous, especially for those who haven’t been educated properly on what could be lurking on the other side of the screen, like elderly people or children. If you’re unsure where to start when it comes to teaching your youngsters about internet safety, an independent day school in Oxford have put together the following advice which you might find helpful.
It would be wise to sit down as a family and discuss what each of you think is appropriate behavior with regards to technology and internet use. Find out what sort of apps and websites your child would like to frequently use and do your research to learn whether or not they are old enough. During this family chat, you can set some clear rules, like never share inappropriate photos, never meet up with anyone you’ve only spoken to online, never be nasty to or about someone else on the internet etc. You should also make sure that they know who to speak to if they are worried about anything they’ve seen online or if they feel they are being bullied.
It’s entirely up to you as a parent how much information you choose to divulge to your child about certain aspects of the internet, such as child predators and scammers, and will also depend on their age. Obviously you don’t want to frighten them, but it’s important that they understand what they might be up against. They will be in more danger if they are naïve to these things. You could tell them that sometimes dangerous people pretend to be someone they’re not online as a means to hurt others or steal from them.
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