Just as the internet can be beneficial in connecting us to friends, family and new information, it can also be harmful and especially for children that are easily influenced. We’ve teamed up with an independent school in Buckinghamshire to share some expert tips and advice on teaching children to use the internet safely. Take a look at them below.
Screen Time
According to research, children are spending more time on their smartphones and gadgets with the average child now having 6 or more hours of screen time a day. This is concerning as we’ve come to learn that anything beyond 2 hours can affect children with regards to their behaviour and mental health. Beyond that point there are growing concerns for their brain as prolonged use can thin the brain’s cortex overtime. While they may think that you’re being difficult, it’s important to make children understand these harms and assert firm boundaries. These can be created by implementing screen limits via the devices themselves.
Unsupervised Use
Being a parent is by no means easy and it’s hard to monitor every little thing that your child does, especially when it comes to their screen time. However, it’s vital that you are making sure that what their viewing is age appropriate as there are potentially harmful things that children can easily stumble upon. Whether they’re just sitting up in front of their tablet watching YouTube or spending time doing their homework, try and be as active as you can by being around to supervise. At the very least, you can set permissions to ensure that they don’t mistakenly end up on dangerous and explicit content.
Oversharing
Children above the age of 13 years old are allowed on to most social media platforms but that does not mean that they are safe. Cyberstalking is a very real phenomenon which makes it all the more important for children to be mindful of what they post and the privacy settings that they have available to them.
