In today’s time, even kids have their own social media accounts or at least have the regular exposure of social media content. This is because parents nowadays will allow their kids to have their own gadgets, and they teach their kids to use their gadgets to play with it and to make some communications with others. There are many parents out there that don’t care about what their kids are doing with their gadgets, which is quite worrying.
As a parent, you are required to ensure that your kids only access the content that are appropriate for them. Kids shouldn’t be allowed to have their own gadgets until they reach at least 13 years of age. Even so, you need to keep monitoring their gadget use and act as a proper guardian for them. This is because there are many places online that your kids can get attracted to, which are also dangerous for their online privacy and security. Here’s how parents should protect their kids’ online privacy in the always-connected digital world:
1. Kids Must Not Be Allowed Having Social Media Accounts Until They Reach 13 Years Of Age
The basic rules for the social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and the like is that the users need to be at least 13 years old when they sign up for the service. This is not without any reason. This is because social media is the place for people to share various types of information with each other, and the information might contain something that is not appropriate for children. Thus, the 13 years minimum age requirement is necessary to ensure that each user can filter the information they receive on social media properly, at least under the guardianship of their parents or other guardians.
As such, you shouldn’t let your children have their social media accounts until they reach the minimum required age. Also, you shouldn’t expose your children in any of the social media platforms in order to protect their privacy. As a pointer, many parents are exposing their children on Instagram and Facebook just to obtain some likes from strangers. This action is not recommended for parents who want to protect their kids’ privacy online.
2. Kids Must Not Be Allowed Communicating With People That They Don’t Know Online
If you feel the need to keep communicating with your kids so that you can always get in touch with them, you have to understand that by opening the line of communication with your children, you can also potentially open the line of communication between your children and online strangers. Thus, you need to educate your kids about the importance of keeping the online communication safe for them.
The rule is simple. They must use their gadget to communicate only with you and a few close friends. That’s it. You shouldn’t allow them to communicate with strangers, or at least they need to let you know when a stranger is trying to communicate with them.
3. You Must Not Give Your Kids Below 13 Years Of Age Their Own Gadget
It means that you shouldn’t give your children that are below 13 years old the gadgets that they can operate for themselves, with always-connected online features. Yes, you can give them the gadget that is strictly made for education and entertainment for your children, with limited online connection and strict parental control measures. If you plan to give your kids their gadget, be sure that the gadget is yours and you only let them borrow it from you.
This is to protect their online privacy and security. By only lending the gadget that you have to your kids, you give a strong message that they can only use the gadget for the things that you approve them to do.
4. You Must Install Monitoring Apps On The Gadget That Your Kids Use
There are many apps that are designed for parents to monitor the kids’ use of their gadgets, which can come in handy if you just do some research. These apps can help you to monitor and track how your children use the gadget on a regular basis. You can also set the time limit for them to use certain apps. In this way, you are in complete control of their online activity, and you can keep them safe in exploring the parts of the internet that are appropriate for them.
These apps can sometimes come as premium apps, which means that you need to pay a certain subscription fee in order to use it. However, when you think about the long-term benefits for your kids’ online privacy and security, such an investment can be considered a small investment for you.
5. You Must Activate Parental Control For Your Kids’ Gadget
Many parents don’t care about any parental control system that they can activate on their gadgets. If your kids often use your gadgets to access online sites, be sure to set up a parental control on it so that you can filter what they see. There are many apps that you can use to set up a parental control system for your gadget, and you simply need to take a few minutes to set it up.
This is important because if you don’t activate it, your kids might use your gadgets and go to any websites without any control from you. In the end, they might expose themselves against the dangers for their online privacy and security.