Image by Ivan Walsh via Flickr
This generation of children is growing up with more technological advances, moving at a faster pace than any generation before. While we know that in the natural order of things, we have to take the bad along with the good. People use the Internet for many purposes. While it makes their lives easier, parents need to do a few things to protect their children from the bad.
Limit the time spent and hours of the day
For younger children of school age, parents can let their children go on the Internet until it is time for dinner. After dinner, parents should preserve their child’s time when they can be there to supervise their children.
Limit the sites they visit
Social networking sites and chat rooms have minimum age requirements. Although they might believe that a 14 year old is safe on these sites, parents know the dangers and are aware that any child under the age of 18, or beyond, should have free reign on these sites. They are breeding grounds for people looking for children to take advantage of, or exploit.
Older teens
Even though pre-teens and teens will balk at their invasion of privacy, parents must supervise them as well. Parents can block certain sites they have identified as not suitable for their adolescent to explore on their own.
For chat rooms, parents need to stand firm on having their teenager’s password and user name. They can explain that it is a precaution for their safety, and not a ploy to check up on them.
Parents should even have pages on social networking sites their children visit to keep an eye on them.
