Know where your kids hang out online
Do you know where your children are — when it comes to being online? Well, you better.
The recent case of the 42-yearold Australian man impersonating Justin Bieber to obtain nude photos and videos from innocent teenagers is why you need to be cyber vigilant.
This is far from an isolated case — “children need more digital education and that parents need to be involved in their kids’ lives, both digital and not,” says Devorah Heitner, founder of Raising Digital Natives.
A terrifying video warning of the dangers of online grooming is garnering millions of YouTube views — released by the Leicestershire police in the U.K., it features the heartbreaking story of 15-year-old Kayleigh Haywood who was raped and murdered after meeting someone online.
Go for mentoring rather than monitoring, urges Heitner, author of Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in their Digital World (Routledge, 2016).
Have open conversations about risks and how to stay safe online.
“Spying on kids covertly is not as helpful as directly mentoring them, and if you choose to track them, let them know you are doing so, so that you can discuss any concerns with them,” says Heitner.
“If you covertly spy, how bad does it have to get before you let your child know you are there? You don’t want to encourage your child to be sneaky, so you want to be sure they know you are a safe person to talk with about any dilemmas, online or off.”
Simply keeping connected devices out of bedrooms overnight can help, as kids may make worse decisions alone late at night, she adds.
Take Heitner’s tips on keeping kids digitally safe:
Get acquainted with your kids’ a pp world snow. Are they age appropriate? Inline with your values?
Get social media savvy. Be upfront about any monitoring apps you put on their devices. When kids play games like Minecraft on a public server, other users may use language or behave inappropriately. Seek out someone to create a secure server for your kids and their friends.
Get your child to point out inappropriate messages they may get.
“Your home isn’t the only place your children will access the Internet. “Don’t delude yourself — it is an unfiltered world out there,” says Heitner.