Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

When we are little we aren’t allowed to cross the road on our own. We must learn Of the possible dangers first. So why aren’t we viewing online technology the same? Children are more exposed to online risks than ever before. You need to make sure that you are just as interested in your childs online life as you are their offline life. Here are some tips for navigating social media safely for your child. 

Add The People You Know 

It’s become common practice now days to accept friend requests out of kindness. Many will admit that they have friends on social media that they likely wouldn’t even greet in passing. Make sure that your children are only adding the people that they know. 

Understand The Platforms Yourself 

You will never know what is out there on Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, if you never dive in and view the apps yourself. Although we wouldn’t advise that you spend hours and hours on these apps, we think it’s crucial to know exactly what is going on in these platforms. When you know what your risks are yourself, it will be easier to manage which apps are appropriate for your children to be on. Understanding these apps will also help you learn how to block predators/suspicious profiles, this information can be passed onto your child.  

You’re At Risk Too! 

We must remember that it is not only our children that are at risk online. Many scammers target older generations to access credit card information, and some even try to steal identities. It’s important to make sure you don’t click any links without reading them first. Always check the grammar, and what number it is coming from.  

Always Adapt 

It’s important to stay in the loop with online trends. Staying in the loop will allow you to be aware of new dangers on emerging social media platforms. Be sure to know how to block/report suspicious users on any platform you come across.

This article was inspired by episode #30 of The Parent-Teacher Project entitled Protecting Your Child Online with Rachel Rasmussen and Nathan Frazer.

Listen to the entire episode below.

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