Your children and social media

If parenting is anything, it’s navigating the constant challenge of managing the push of our children to explore the world with our job as parents to set up appropriate boundaries for them.

Eventually, the time will come when children will want to join social media.

How do we help them explore this world in a way that will help them grow into responsible, media-literate adults while we also keep them safe?

The Raising Children network, an online parenting resource backed by the Australian Government and the Royal Children’s Hospital, says that banning social media outright is not the best approach – tempting though that might be. It recommends that best way to protect your child online is to openly discuss the risks of social media.

Risks include being tagged in an embarrassing photo taken at a party

Understand the dangers involved in sharing content and personal information

Learn how to navigate the risks – for example, if your child posts an identifiable image of herself, she can reduce risk by not including any other personal information Solve problems Think about and manage their own “digital footprint” – what your child uploads now might have an impact later.