Image in the public domain.
The question of how to keep children safe online is a thorny problem that many of us struggle with. There are specific settings available for various devices, but a determined child can circumvent many of these settings. Additionally, how do you keep children safe when they are visiting friends’ homes or using other devices?
Here are four good habits that parents can use for building safe and responsible digital use:
- Be visibly around when the child is using technology, and use technology with your young children rather than letting them use it alone.
- Regularly talk to your children about what they are doing on the Internet, what they are learning from the experience, how they are solving problems that they encounter, and if they need help solving any problems online.
- Have an agreement with your children about what is acceptable and unacceptable when using the Internet and digital devices, which you revisit regularly to ensure continued agreement. This agreement can be a verbal agreement, or a more formal one. Some research suggests that these agreements are particularly effective if they apply to the adults in the household as well as the children.
- Model the behaviors that your family values and which you would like the children to exhibit, including device free zones or times, and problem solving uncomfortable or difficult situations.
- Discuss (even free) purchases with your children before they are installed on their device(s).
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