Teach Them Tech Literacy and Get Them to Understand the New World and How ALL their Actions Online are Visible…
By now, you should know the importance of privacy online and in the real world. If anything, it can be impossible to escape. There is always a risk that your personal information will get leaked online. While it is never impossible for your information to be hacked, the chances that it will happen are relatively low. You can also help shield your children from the risk by teaching them to take security measures such as not sharing every detail of their entire lives online. Now, you may not consider yourself the most tech-savvy parent around, but your worldly experience is crucial for educating your children about being safe with their devices.
Kids always think they know more about technology than the older generation. But while they may know the quickest way to crop and edit an image for the gram, they may not have the other type of tech literacy that will protect them from the repercussions. One thing that most kids, even teenagers, don’t realize is that nothing ever gets deleted on the internet. What does this mean? Their supposedly harmless prank or offensive behaviour will never go away. It poses a risk to their future and their privacy and could impact their employment opportunities, so it’s always vital to teaching them how to be careful about what they post.
Set Up Content Locks
You can’t wrap your child in bubble wrap to keep them safe from the unpleasant outside world, but you can still do something to limit their exposure to inappropriate things, at least until they’re old enough to approach it maturely. For kids around elementary age, setting up a parental lock on their smartphone will severely limit the websites they can visit. They may not like it, but it will save them from stumbling across something that is not suitable for their age, especially as other kids will happily share these links without a second thought.
Track Their Phone
Tracking their phone may sound like you’re slightly overstepping the mark of privacy, but it could be crucial for protecting them from harm. You can do this by using Find My Phone apps, or you can hire a hacker for cell phone usage if you suspect something is not appropriate for your child. These may seem like extreme measures, but they could help your child before they get into something too profound for them to escape.
Share Passwords And Access
If you think back to your youth, the idea of sharing passwords with your parents is likely something you weren't motivated to do. However, sharing passwords with your child is not meant to invade their privacy and read their messages whenever you feel like it. Instead, it is to ensure they are better protected. By willingly giving up their passwords, you know they have nothing to hide, and this can put your mind at ease.
Safe Online
There is a thin line between protecting your children and overstepping privacy boundaries. You might have their best interests at heart, but they may not see it that way. Therefore, it is beneficial to make it clear that you are only looking out for them and protect them from possible issues online.
