3 Tips for How to Keep Kids Safe Online
Kids Safe Online – The internet is both a friend and foe of children. On one side, it makes learning fun by providing easy access to educational and thought-provoking content. It also allows them to make friends online and explore their creativity, be it art, writing, or music.
But, on the flip side, it could be your child’s worst enemy. Too much online surfing can interfere with children’s sleep, lead to risky behaviors such as self-injury, and fall victim to online predators.
There are about 500,000 predators online, according to new research from the Beau Biden Foundation. Alarmingly, one in five children reported that they were contacted or solicited by a predator in 2022. That sounds scary.
Keeping your kids safe online is every parent’s priority. Here are some easy-to-follow tips that will help you protect your children against potential harm online:
1 Talk About Their Online Activity
No amount of precautions will keep your kids as safe online as establishing open communication. Talk to your child about what they are watching, reading, or talking to online. Ask your child about the sites they visit or applications they use.
Inquiring about your child’s online activity will help you understand if they are involved in any activity that could be dangerous for them. Such conversations also create a safe space where children can discuss issues they find disturbing on the internet.
Forty-two percent of parents believe the most effective way to engage children in online safety is to have a casual conversation. That’s according to a recent survey by Google.
When you have conversations with your child, be sure to listen to their perspective. This will help you gain insight into their online experience. In case your child wants to buy games or subscribe to anything online, research them together. That way, they will be able to see the risks themselves, if any.
2 Monitor Social Media Use
A recently published article in the New York Times reveals that kids as young as eight use social media.
According to recent data, TikTok and WhatsApp are the two most commonly used platforms among tweens, i.e., children between eight and eleven years. About 32% of children have a profile on each of the two apps. However, YouTube and Snapchat are also popular among tweens. Approximately 27% of eight-to-eleven-year-olds use YouTube, whereas 24% are Snapchat users.
Social media platforms are also popular among children between 12 and 15 years of age. Researchers found WhatsApp and Snapchat to be the top social media platforms among twelve-to-fifteen-year-olds.
This is worrisome because children could stumble across pornography, posts that promote disordered eating, or images of self-harm. The mental health of children can also be impacted by social media. Excessive use has been linked to anxiety, depression, sleep disturbance, and behavioral problems.
One social media platform that has garnered much attention is Snapchat. Studies have found a positive link between its use and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, in high school and college students. Snapchat also contributes to FOMO– fear of missing out– in kids.
Any parent whose child suffered from depression, anxiety, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, self-harm, and social ideation qualifies for a Snapchat lawsuit. More than a dozen parents have sued Snapchat for triggering or exacerbating mental health issues in children.
The defendant in the Snapchat lawsuit is Snap Inc., notes TorHoerman Law. By filing a lawsuit against Snapchat, you can recover compensation for the harm caused to your child. Successful lawsuits would receive compensation, which includes medical bills, future medical expenses, therapy costs, lost quality of life, pain and suffering, and emotional damages.
Considering the impact of social media on children’s mental health, you must monitor your child’s social media usage.
Be sure to check what your child is posting on their social media accounts. One way you can do this is by adding them to your socials. Check their friend lists to see who they add and their messages to know whom they interact with. Leveraging monitoring apps can also be helpful. Apps like Eyezy and Bark allow parents to screen their children’s social media usage.
3 Turn “On” SafeSearch
The Internet is chock-full of content, and not all content is suitable for young audiences. To make sure your child doesn’t access them, turn on SafeSearch.
Many search engines, such as Yahoo, Bing, and Google, offer this feature, which you can turn on to filter out inappropriate or explicit content from search results. As this feature filters out potentially harmful content from search results, it prevents accidental exposure to them.
However, it’s important to note that no SafeSearch feature is 100% effective. That is why children mustn’t be allowed to use the internet alone or unsupervised.
Wrapping it up, children today are growing in a world that is cybercentric. Preventing your child’s exposure to the internet and all things digital is impossible. But you can make efforts to keep them secure. Teach them about online safety, so they can use the internet responsibly.
Be sure to set limits on their screen time. Explain to them the dangers of sharing personal details, location, and social media passwords with strangers online. As SafeSearch isn’t 100% effective, switch to Kiddle, a web search engine that displays only vetted results in a kid-friendly manner.
