In today’s digital world, it’s important for parents to instill safe cyber practices with their children from an early age.
It is critical to come up with a plan to monitor your child’s online activities and set digital boundaries. From elementary school through the teenage years, parents should continue to educate their children on staying safe online.
Here are some things you can do to set a good foundation for safe cyber practices.
Be open
Create an open environment to talk about the importance of cyber safety and encourage your children to talk to you about any of their questions or concerns. Reiterate the importance of parental oversight in making sure they stay safe online.
Set boundaries
Come up with rules that work for you family for using digital devices in your home. This could include setting time limits for device usage or instituting a “cyber curfew” to keep smart phones and tablets out of your child’s room at bedtime.
Educate yourself
Take the time to learn about various apps, their function and their age restrictions. Some applications that may appear to be marketed to younger children could, in fact, be intended for an older audience.
Install security
There are many third-party programs to institute varying levels of security on your devices. These programs allow you as parent determine what website and applications your child can have access to on their devices.
Check and re-check
Check your children’s devices for any concerning apps or activity. Make routine device checks part of your family plan for cyber safety.
