Children these days have access to their own tabs and smartphones at a very early age and most times, we parents do not even know what our children are reading/watching online or who they are chatting with via social media platforms.
How do we as parents keep track of the websites our children are accessing?
Many parents do not keep track of the browsing habits of their children and a large percentage are completely unaware of their children's online activities.
Most of us parents rely on these smart devices to help with homework and general learning for our children from an early age because its a great way to stay up-to-date with happenings around the world and for our teenagers to communicate with friends. So there's need for younger children to access the internet.
Access to the internet is mandatory in most schools these days with tablets being a part of their starting requirements. So teachers expect students to go online to do research and assignments and reinforce information's.
While access to the internet has a lot of advantages, there are also disadvantages.
Some of the advantages are the help it renders during research. Children who have access to the internet always learn new things online and are abreast with happenings in their immediate environment and the world at large.
For our primary schools presently, I noticed a lot of things have changed. Sciences and mathematics that used to be taught in primary 5 and 6 classes, are now taught in primary 3 and 4 and sometimes in primary 2 classes. I have constantly had the need to run to my phone to check out answers to homework and research needs for my 7year old. Older children I know in secondary schools are constantly chatting via Facebook, WhatsApp, twitter, my space and other social media platforms concerning school work and generally socialising.
Technology is moving very fast and we as parents, have to move along with it so as to be able to monitor our children's great computer skills(these days, children seem to be born with an inbuilt manual on computer operations).
They know far more about the world than we did at their age.
Access to the internet equals access to cyber bullies.
Having a smartphone, tablet in recent times is as commonplace as eating. Its a part of the life of a modern day child. Cyber bullies are invisible and are difficult to identify even if the child opens up to a parent/an adult, because its very easy to put up false information online.
Many children spend so much time online that they find it difficult being social/sociable offline and cannot concentrate on anything else(reading a book or having a healthy conversation). Most children begin to feel agitated if they are away from online activity for any considerable length of time.
Some scientists predict that these high amounts of internet exposure may alter the thought patterns of children.
Some children meet up with strangers they met online without their parents knowledge. We should teach our children not to meet with anyone who they meet online. These strangers can be serial killers, rapists or generally a bad influence on the child.
Although a lot of children have had negative experiences online, most parents do not even realise this.
Not all information posted online are private.
How do we keep safe, our children's internet access?
Firstly, be sure to talk to your child(ren) about the dangers of communicating with strangers and exchanging personal information online.
There are some signs we have to watch out for in our children.
Do they become secretive and try to hide what they ate doing online?
Are they very depressed and cannot concentrate in on anything else?
Do they get on the computer at a specific time daily?
As a parent, know your way around a computer and the internet. At the very least, know as much as your child(ren) until they get to their very late teens and 20s.
Most internet browsers have parental control options for various age groups.
Activate these controls and access to certain websites are restricted. Additional safety tools for parents are also available for purchase online.
Try visiting the websites your children visits to have a feel of what they are exposed to.
If your child uses the internet , they may unwittingly give away sensitive information to strangers(phone nos, address, pictures etc). If this is the case, and you get to know, try changing as much of the information given out as possible. And make sure contact with the stranger stops.
Discourage your child from posting pictures on social media even if they think its "cool".
Teenagers mostly need the most monitoring online but children 12 years and younger should not be allowed to use an internet connected computer alone because even though they may be in secondary schools, they are not mature enough to handle internet predators.
Children 7years and below in my opinion have no business with the internet. In carrying out school projects adults should help them search and show them just what they need.
It is best to be in the room when children are using the internet, it might help if computers are used in the family room instead of the privacy of their rooms.
Try to always check the internet history of your computer. If your child clears the history, there might be a cause for concern.
Make your child feel safe and confident enough to talk to you if they receive harassing or threatening messages online. Start conversations about online safety with your child early.
Set a good example by limiting your time on social networks/your phone when at home.
Teach them to decline friend requests from strangers.
In as much as internet access is a common factor in our lives, we need to think of the security of our children and as such, cautious movement into the advantages should be taken.
