Digital experience matters a lot in kids’ grooming hence, it is mandatory that you pay attention to their digital knowledge and exposure. For you, here we have compiled a list of 4 lessons that you should teach your kids before they get on the digital flight with their very own first tech device. Give it a read!
1. Learn about Cyberbullying
The cyberbullying is actually an electronic mean to threaten or harm others. In boys, harassment can be linked to mental health problems, impaired school performance, drug addiction and violence.
Make sure your child understands that it is not acceptable to spread rumors or harass anyone through messages or any other means. Encourage your child to talk to you or another trusted adult if they receive text messages from stalkers.
2. Be aware of Sexting and its consequences:
Explain to your kid the emotional consequences of the practice of sexting, or sending messages with sexual content, through cell phones or other electronic devices. They can be uncomfortable not only to the sender, but for the receiver too, especially if the recipient is under age 18.
Teach them in a way that they also take into account the long-term impact of a photo or a message as these can be forwarded to other contacts and resurface after a long time and embarrass the person or generator among others. When the content begins to flow it is impossible to stop.
Make sure your kid understands that it is a crime to possess sexually explicit images of minors.
3. Avoid texting interfere with sleep
Sending text messages after light out or during bedtime can interfere with sleep, especially when messages are stressful or are emotionally charged. Some studies suggest that being "connected" when going to sleep can lead to difficulty in sleeping, a bad break and a subsequent daytime sleepiness.
To avoid, agree with your child a reasonable schedule for cell phone use, suspending, for example, after a certain time in the school day. To reinforce this rule, remove the phone from the child’s room at night or you can simply use the screen time control app such as FamilyTime that lets you put auto-screen locks on your kids’ devices during the night and enables you to remotely lock their phone to restrict access.
4. Know the Phone usage ethics
Know how to use the phone and interact with others over the Internet and social media platforms. For this, Sit occasionally with them to see the messages they send or receive or let them know that you can review the contents of their phone regularly. You can also install the parental controls on the phone to find out how many text messages they have or who has contacted them, etc. With any good app, you can check kids’ call logs, and their sent and received messages.
