This is a collaborative post: With online schooling being kind of a big thing in 2020 and the early part of 2021, it’s pretty reasonable to expect that our kids, whether they are in nursery or secondary school are pretty active online, whether that’s through gaming, social media or simply using educational platforms and websites. Here, we look at some of the hazards that being online poses and how to protect your kids when they are on the internet.
Mobile phones
The average age for a child to get their first mobile phone is eight years old, dropping from ten in 2015. There are plenty of benefits to giving a child a mobile phone – but there are also some hazards.
Mobile phones, particularly smartphones (and let’s face it, pretty much all phones are smartphones now) give children unprecedented levels of freedom and independence. They literally have a computer that can give them access to almost any information they could ever want. While that is mind-blowing, it can also mean they can see things that they shouldn’t necessarily be seeing and doing things they shouldn’t be doing – sending inappropriate photos, sending inappropriate messages, and receiving them. When giving a child a phone, lay down some clear rules. You could also make them sign a contract agreeing to the rules before they are allowed their phone, with clear consequences if they break them. Click here to learn more the growing numbers of kids using numbers around the world and how it affects their daily lifestyle.
Streaming
Streaming content has grown in popularity, and there are more TV shows and movies available to us than ever before – much of it inappropriate for children. Whether they watch it on something like Netflix or Prime using a Troypoint recommended VPN, there is always the chance they will come across a film aimed at a much older audience.
The majority of the major streaming video providers have parental controls, some of which are more strict than others. You can build different profiles for yourself and your children on Netflix.
You can use these resources to ensure that your children only see age-appropriate material. Since Netflix’s children’s menu has a different colour scheme than the standard menu, you can easily see whether or not your children are consuming the content that is appropriate for them. However, this does not prevent children from accessing your profile, so you must remain cautious.
Social Media
Social media usage is now ubiquitous among teens all around the world, with the vast majority of them active on at least one social media platform. While the lower age for most is 13, it doesn’t stop anyone younger from setting up an account with a fake date of birth.
Social media is not inherently bad. In fact, during the lockdowns, it meant children could stay in touch with their friends. However, we all know the dark sides of social media. Make sure they are aware of the process of grooming and catfishing, and of being pressurised to share things that they wouldn’t do in ‘real life’, It is also good to remind them that you can never truly delete everything you put on social media, and one day, it may come back to haunt them.