From
the moment I found out I was pregnant I felt unconditional love for
my children and a determination to give them a fantastic childhood.
Being a parent means I do my utmost to care for and protect them. To
give them a happy, stable and hopefully healthy life.
An
underlying emotion connected to being a parent is worry. Worry that I
am doing my best for them. Worry that they are happy. Worry that they
are healthy. Worry that they will not come to harm. Worry that I can
protect them from the bad of the world.
There
is a lot to worry about when raising children.
In
the tech heavy, online world we live in today where people are ever
reliant on being ‘connected’ to the internet and the world of
social media as they live their day to day life with an electronic
device in hand, parents have a new worry to be concerned about - how
to protect and keep children safe online?

The
big, boisterous era of the world wide web and social media is not
restricted to only adults, in fact the age when children start
dabbling with the internet and first experience social media and
online platforms is continually getting younger and younger.
When
I was growing up before the generation of smartphones, most people
did not get a mobile phone until their mid teenage years at the
earliest. Nowadays I have heard of children under the age of 10 that
have their own smartphones.
Not
only are smartphones becoming increasingly prevalent with children
but other devices such as gaming consoles for online game play and
tablets are too. Children are growing up tech-savvy and at a young
age are able to navigate around a tablet to play games, search google
and watch ‘egg toy surprise’ and ‘toy unboxing’ videos by
their favourite YouTube stars.
Whilst
there are benefits to technology and the internet, my eldest for
example has a wealth of educational games and information available
at the touch of button which has helped him thrive educationally,
there is a dark and dangerous side to the internet.

Cyberbullying
is a real threat to children and teenagers. No longer is bullying
limited to the school playground, it now taunts and follows victims
back home where threats and humiliations online darken days and make
life unbearable. Grooming and strangers pose a real danger to
children and teenagers. They weave a web of lies as they target
vulnerable children for their own satisfaction.
Other
downsides and concerns about children and the internet can also
include but are not limited to them bullying others, sharing
inappropriate pictures, seeing inappropriate content, and spending
too much time alone.
So
how do we keep our little beloved children safe when online? How do
we protect from them strangers online and cyberbullying?
Talk
to your child
The
first and most important thing is to openly and regularly talk to
your child. By involving them in discussions about what is
appropriate and inappropriate, informing them of steps on how to stay
safe and having conversations about boundaries and what they can and
cannot do online will help make them feel involved in decisions about
their online use. Also by talking to them openly and regularly there
is greater chance that if anything concerning happens online they
will talk to you about it rather than keep it to themselves.
Buying
your child’s first phone
SIM
Only is a good option for a child's phone, a step up from pay as you
go but it's often more cost-effective than PAYG especially when it
comes to data. A good option is iD Mobile as all their plans are
'shockproof' which means there's no chance a child can rack up a huge
bill. A £5 cap is placed on excess usage, allowing you to set your
child up with a fixed monthly allowance and rest assured that they
will never be able to go over that limit by more than a fiver. Other
ones to consider include giffgaff and BT Mobile. You can compare all those SIM only deals here to find a price point that suits your
budget.
Teach ShareAware
From a young age and when children first start using the internet and online devices teach them to be ShareAware. Teach them about personal information and how they should not share those details such as full name, address, school or email with people online. Educate them on ways to keep that information safe and protect their privacy such as not using personal details such as birthdays, location or names when creating usernames.
Explore
sites and apps together
Talk
to your children and explore the sites and apps that they want to use
together to create an app and site approved list. By looking at them
together you can express positive views about them as well as
highlight any concerns. Explain what concerns you have and why you
think certain sites or apps are inappropriate. Regularly update or
review your child’s app and site approved list. Be prepared for
your child to be influenced by friends who might use sites or apps
you have deemed inappropriate, discuss this with your child
explaining why they should not use them.
As
with anything parenting related it is a steep learning curve and the
job of parent and protecting children is ongoing. As children grow
and their online use changes, ways to keep them safe will change.
Teaching them the foundations of staying safe online such as being
ShareAware and how to report inappropriate content and behaviour on
apps as well as having open conversations about the internet and
social media is a great start to protect children and keeping them
safe online. Wealth is power too, so I always make sure to read
articles and advice on how to keep children safe online such as this
informative How to Protect Your Child on Their Smartphone infographic by TigerMobiles.
Do
you have any advice on how to protect children and keep them safe
online?
* Collaborative
post *
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