PROTECTING THE CHILDREN ONLINE

This year, 2020 has brought about many changes and one most prevalent in our children’s lives in the increase in screen time. There was indeed once upon a time a world where, we as parents, “ohhed” and “aiyoed” about the copious amount of time our children spent in front of screens, from T.V to computers. In fact, I myself have written many an article about the adverse affects of screen time in correlation to your child’s age and development. Fast-forward to the new decade of 2020, and we are all, including myself, singing a different tune! In order to fight the pandemic we have had to seclude ourselves in the safety of our homes. Our children’s otherwise idyllic, carefree childhoods have been fraught with restrictions. Whilst, typically their lives were filled with the hustle and bustle of schools, friends, teachers and relatives, overnight, we vacuum sealed them into our own household prisons, from the inside looking out at the world, through the magic of computer screens. 2020 saw children spend much of their schooling through digital learning. Ballet lessons or piano lessons were not spent in studios but instead through zoom meetings, and family get togethers or hangouts were not in person but more in a family chat room. Since children being online, has become a necessity because of the changing face of communication in the pandemic, as parents, we have to understand the dangers that come with and it act accordingly.

Here are some ways to keep our children safe online

1 DON’T REVEAL NAMES: As children join Google classrooms, zoom meetings etc it would be advisable not to use their real names. Younger children should not generally have their own emails, but if they do, make sure you have access. Children entering the worldwide web are similar to leaving them in a crowded street filled with strangers. Some of those strangers will not be nice and we need to make sure that the children are protected at all times during these virtual meets.

2 FAMILY’S DIGITAL FOOTPRINT: Every picture, or piece of information shared online gets stored somewhere, and the worry is that information will be used inappropriately. Do not encourage children to share pictures of themselves or even their surroundings. Also make sure they get prior approval from you beforehand.

Every picture, or piece of information shared online gets stored somewhere, and the worry is that information will be used inappropriately.

3 KEEP LOCATION PRIVATE: Most apps, networks and devices have geo tagging options, make sure these are turned off for obvious privacy and safety reasons, especially when small children are online.

4 COMPUTER ACCESS TIME: Being stuck indoors leaves not many options in entertainment; the computer opens up the whole world and is definitely a more enticing option. Children will already spend a lot of time online for schooling and other educational activities; therefore curtail their unnecessary browsing times. Switch off the wifi, turn on password protection modes, you have to be firm to maintain a healthy balance.

5 PARENTAL CONTROLS: The beauty of the world wide web is that it is teeming with all the worlds information, but you can also set controls as to what your children have access to. Many a popular platform have a kid friendly option, investigate all the avenues available and make use of them, your child’s safety is at hand.

6 TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN: Despite having control over your child’s presence online, always talk to them about the dos and don’ts. Similar to them being out in the real world, there are rules to follow even in the digital world. As your children get older, we find it a bit difficult to monitor all that they see online, but if you make them aware of your expectations, it will be a bit easier to control them along the way. Keep the channels of communication open.

The reality of the future is that our children have been thrown into a virtual world. It is a world different to what we grew up in, it is a world not tangible or touchable but instead filled with more sinister attributes. This is a part of the new different. Rather than shy away from it, we have to learn to accept it and conquer it. Not being tech savvy is not an excuse anymore, if our children are online, we have to be one step ahead of them for their safety. Get informed and get smart.