These days, kids are exposed to much more than many of us ever were. Most of us reading this article did not grow up with a cell phone, the internet or email. If we wanted to talk to a friend we had to call them on the house phone, which probably meant that you had a time limit so as not to tie up the line for other calls.
I remember when we finally got call waiting and I could talk to my heart's content. I also remember our house phone being in the kitchen, an obviously public area of the house. We had a PC when I was in middle and high school, but it was primarily for those now-primitive games and word processing and it was also in a very public area of the house.
Today, we live in a global community. Our kids can have access to and be influenced by all types of people and from all parts of the world. This can be a scary thought. Our kids can click on one link and have pages of advertisements, invitations for surveys and messages from complete strangers pop up in windows or show up in their email inbox. The old game of six degrees of separation seems now to be down to two or three since Facebook and other social media sites have gained popularity.
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Keeping our kids safe in this global world is important for all parents and educators to consider. This week's article discussed how parents are handling technology with their kids at various ages. The comments so far seem to say that many of our local parents feel that while technology is helpful and good, they recognize the need for parameters put on these in order to keep our kids safe, especially depending on their age.
In this technologically based world, children also have to be aware how everything is permanent and can follow them through school and beyond, affecting their goals or dreams. Photos and messages posted or sent on the internet will always exist in some archive or website. Cell phone pictures that are sent out to others may end up anywhere in the world.
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This is similar to the child's game “telephone." You never know what the message will end up being once it has gone around the world. There are now that specifically address the situations of harassment and that is done through technology. Children and parents are held responsible if anything unlawful occurs. These often connect to schools who will also give consequences to these situations. Employers often will check out perspective employees by “Googling” them.
Parenting Pointers
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Discuss what your child should and should not disclose on social media sites.
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Make sure that available privacy settings are set on your child's social media sites.
Keep yourself educated on the changing laws that address the proper use of technology and what consequences you and your child could face if not followed.
Make sure that you are the one in charge of your child's internet and cell phone usage.
Be realistic about the maturity level of your child to be able to have access to technology and consider where these items should be located and what restrictions should be enforced.
Growing technological advances can be exciting and amazing to enjoy such conveniences. Being able to be connected to our friends and family whenever we want is a great way to keep ties between the loved ones in our life and be an added safety measure. However, we must still educate our children on the importance of making good choices in technology use.
Parent's Homework
Google yourself and see what comes up. You might be surprised at how global you are even if you are not one who considers themselves to be “connected”. Use this as a discussion base to make sure your child is being safe when using technology.
Some other resources for discussion include tips on technology safety from the perspective of bullying and cyber safety tips.
