You should set family rules about what types of online content and activities are acceptable. Be specific. Also, mention the types of content or behavior that isn’t allowed and should be brought to your attention (such as pornography, excessive violence, hate speech, and risky or illegal acts).
If your child comes to you about something inappropriate they’ve seen or experienced online, don’t act alarmed. Instead, be reassuring. Listen attentively, tell them it’s not their fault, answer their questions and help them report any unsuitable behavior or content to the website/app or authorities. Encourage them to ask you for advice if they’re ever unsure if something crosses the line.
Lastly, make using the internet with your young children a fun, family activity that allows you to subtly reinforce your message about what’s appropriate online. Place your computers in open areas of your house for easier monitoring.
It’s important for your children to understand what’s not acceptable to post about themselves online — as well as why.
Explain in simple terms why certain types of personal information — such as their full name, birthday, home address, email address, phone numbers, and names of family, friends or pets — shouldn’t be given on some online platforms because it can be used by cybercriminals for fraudulent activities or to determine their location. There’s no need to terrify your child when explaining this, or to delve too deeply into possible worst case scenarios.
This conversation should also cover photos. Tell your child that pictures of family and friends should only be posted with their permission. Also, before posting or texting images of themselves, teach your children to ask themselves questions, such as is this something I would want my grandmother to see? My teachers? My college admissions counselor? My future spouse or children?
Remember, it’s possible to view these images now or even decades later because the internet never forgets. So, unless your child can safely answer “yes” to those questions, they shouldn’t share the images online.
Work with your kids to ensure they follow cybersecurity best practices.
For example, encourage them to use strong, unique passwords for each of their social media accounts to help prevent hackers from accessing or taking over the accounts. And remind them not to share their passwords with anyone — even their best friend.
Also, caution your children about clicking on suspicious links in emails or text messages. Or downloading anything from untrustworthy sources that could install malware on their device.
What constitutes cyberbullying? It’s using electronic communications to bully a person, typically by sending intimidating or threatening messages.
Considering the growing frequency of cyberbullying and its impact, it’s important to talk with your children about this subject, and watch for signs they could be a victim – or even a perpetrator.
Signs of being a victim include a child who stops using a computer or cell phone, acts nervous when receiving an email, IM or text, seems uneasy about going to school, withdraws from friends and family, and suffers from low self-esteem.
As a parent, if you notice these signs, you should save any evidence of cyberbullying you find, block those doing the bullying from contacting your child, set up new email and social media accounts for your child, and talk to authorities at your child’s school.
How can you help prevent bullying behavior? Establish the proper expectations for online behavior, set strict punishment for cyberbullying, and encourage your child to get involved when they witness cyberbullying instead of being a bystander.
Unfortunately, you don’t have to worry only about sexting from your child’s peers. Adult predators may sexually solicit your child by sexting or other means. It often occurs on social media sites with offenders grooming children by exploiting their curiosity, gradually introducing explicit images, and then using their adult status to control the child’s behavior (sometimes by offering gifts).
Signs that your child may be receiving sexual advances from an adult include when your child receives gifts from strangers, calls unknown numbers, rejects family and friends, seems upset or distracted when they’re away from their computer or phone, and changes or minimizes their screen rapidly when anyone approaches.
So, what can you do to help protect your children?
- Talk to your kids about the consequences of sexting, and how images can spread out of control online.
- Encourage them to be open with you, and report any type of sexual advance or cyber abuse they witness.
- Teach them about the warning signs of sexual abuse, including receiving explicit content or images, or getting requests from strangers to meet them in person.
- Make sure they know to never accept “friend” requests or gifts from strangers.
