Introducing Your Kids To The Digital World
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If you’re a parent with young children, the day they become more interested in screens than the world around them can be hard to grasp. Indeed, one of the crucial decisions you make early in a child’s life is whether or not to get them a phone of their own, especially if your son or daughter has been nagging you for one for ages now! But it can be a hard choice to make and for good reasons.
After all, the digital world can be a dangerous place, and introducing your kids to the internet can be hard to maintain parental control over. But it has to happen at some point, and that is why we are here to help. The digital world isn’t an awful place; You need to show your kids how to handle it!
Use the Internet Together
Parents who are reluctant to bring their children into the digital age can ease them into it by first using the internet together. They get to see it in action, ask questions as they go, and you get to demonstrate firsthand both how fun and risky the internet can be.
In doing so, you ensure your child comes to you first, before anyone else, to check if they should click on a site or a link. They tell you all about the people they’ve spoken to in kids’ chat rooms, and ultimately, your kids will feel safer talking to you about what they get up to when you’re not looking.
Allow Tech to Help Them in School
The school setting has a significant impact on your child, so you should use it to help your child develop a strong understanding of the digital world. We can make good use of tablets and smartphones in school settings, whether you homeschool your child or not, and it’s a good idea to take up such an initiative with the school board themselves.
Thanks to many more classroom management software for K-12 programs, it’s much easier to allow your child internet access without worry. They can get used to the benefits digital access offers us, with both you and their teachers can monitor what they do online.
Talk About the Dangers, Rather Than Just Set Barriers
Following the idea of using the internet together, be sure to talk about how dangerous the internet can be. It can be tempting as a parent to set site blocks and screen time limits, but the more you actively explain why you’ve put these in place, the less your child will want to get around them. Sate their curiosity by being upfront with them (to a fault), and always have an answer ready to go when that dreaded ‘Why?’ pops up!
Your kids can use the digital world safely if they know what to do! So go through it with them using the points above.
