As we have been sharing, supporting our children to potentialize the benefits of online access while reducing the risks this access may entail is vital for our times.
That is why in JUNE, we are celebrating Internet Safety Month! And since we think that providing parents, caregivers, teachers, and children with the best and easiest info to follow, we have found some resources that you may want to look at.
Today we want to show you the NetSmartz web page, especially the New Tip Sheet they have created for us!
In this Tip Sheet, they share five excellent tips we have highlighted in our publications and blogs, but it is never enough to remember and act!
Here are the tips, and feel free to check out the complete Tip Sheet:
Keep the ground rules. Remember that rules of how much time and the purpose of internet usage are essential to keep our children safe. However, always remember that these rules are better if we make them in agreement with the whole family and that we have to show them how. Let’s be an example for them and respect the rules.
Modify how we monitor. It is challenging to keep an eye on everything our children do. Even the best parental controls and content blockers could not be enough. The best tool to keep our kids safe is to pay attention to what they are doing and talk to them about the benefits and risks of online access.
Engage with the platforms. We strongly encourage you to learn more about the games and media your children are doing. You may have more topics to talk to them about, and also, you will know what they are doing online.
Chat “in real life” with your children. Usually, we pay attention to everything that happens on our devices, but what about keeping constant in-person communication with our children? This could benefit them personally and also helps us support their safety online.
Don’t take the tech. Since tech is really important for our children now-a-days, we might feel encouraged to take it away from them if they make a mistake, but is this helping? Taking tech away from them as a punishment might only make them feel anxious and isolated. Therefore, we encourage you to find other ways of helping your children reduce the attention they give to tech.
Let us know how you are dealing with your children’s safety online! Is there anything else or any other good tip we can learn from?