Kids and smartphones: name a better duo. Seriously, it is difficult to pry kids away from their screens, which can become a problem. It is not only a question of health and the unknown impact screen time can have on their brain development, but there are also very real safety concerns they should be made aware of.
The more technology advances and develops, the more cybercriminals are finding new ways to get to us. And with widespread smart tech use among children, there have never been more or easier targets for them to take advantage of.
But how do you teach safety and impress the importance of rules on an age group that is notoriously difficult? Here are some tips on how to teach kids how to use their smartphones responsibly.
Rule #1: The Internet Is Not Less Dangerous In 2021
In many ways, growing up with access to the internet has made today’s kids careless about internet safety and perhaps even oblivious to its dangers. Our generation was warned again and again that the internet is dangerous and we should always be careful. Kids today are not taught the same lessons because it is much more common.
Explain to your kids that just because they can access the internet at all times on their smartphone does not mean it is completely safe. They should always be aware of the information they share, the information they seek, and the way they act online. Just because it has become a common thing doesn’t mean we should be less careful.
Rule #2: Strangers Are Not Your Friends
A lesson that needs to be taught early on is that stranger danger extends to the internet. Having a phone in hand at all times and access to social media and internet comment sections, kids have more freedom to interact with strangers than ever before. And that is a problem.
Make sure to impress upon your child that they need to protect themselves from strangers online just like they would do in real life and the same rules apply. Never tell a stranger information about yourself, including name, address, school, phone number, etc.
Explain that if a stranger ever approaches them or asks for info from them online, they should notify a trusted adult immediately. They may be pretending to be friends, but there is no way to verify without an adult present.
Rule #3: Anonymity Is Not An Excuse For Bullying
One of the major problems for this generation of kids is that bullying has moved online. They can’t leave the bullies at school anymore, because the bullies have phones they can use to send their threats, their insults, and their cruel behavior. It can be inescapable.
Children should be made aware that just because the bullying is happening online or is anonymous, it doesn’t mean it’s ok. A smartphone is not a weapon to use against your peers or strangers.
Taking the time to teach a lesson against being a bully is just as important as teaching them how to safeguard themselves against bullying. It never occurs to parents that their child could be the bully, but a smartphone and the anonymity of the internet can turn anyone into one.
So the lesson of anonymity is extremely important - it should never be used as an excuse to be cruel to someone, just because they don’t know you or you don’t know them.
Rule #4: Not All Content Is Age-Appropriate
One of the major battles parents have been fighting since the advent of the internet is safeguarding their kids against inappropriate content. Believe it or not, even with the freedom and easy access they have today, stumbling across wildly inappropriate content used to be even easier.
Nowadays, most major public platforms do not allow inappropriate language like swearing, or adult content including violence or sexual content. As long as they stick to safe websites, they should be fine. In addition, you can block certain categories of websites via your router or computer settings to further limit accessibility.
Even so, children should be taught to not seek adult content and to avoid it, even in the eventuality where they come across it. Content that is not meant for their eyes can be dangerous and even mentally scarring. It helps to explain why, because if you just forbid it “because I said so”, their natural curiosity will win every time.
Rule #5: Safeguarding Is Necessary
Now let’s talk about what kids can do to protect themselves. They should be made aware of the fact that taking actions to safeguard themselves is necessary, and that their smartphone can become a target.
All their apps and personal accounts should be password-protected - they should not share the password with anyone except you. Their phone should have a PIN or fingerprint recognition. Even if their phone gets stolen, the thief will not be able to steal their personal information.
They should be made aware of the dangers of phishing and online scamming. Make sure they’re familiar with popular internet scams, including fake emails from major companies like PayPal or Amazon, as well as the classic Nigerian Prince scams. They are to never ever
respond to emails from people they don’t know, click links, or download attachments. Those can all lead to malware at best, and a stolen identity, at worst.
Rule #6: Screen Time Should Be Limited
Of course, in addition to the physical safety threats they need to be aware of, there’s also the potential health issues that can arise from excessive smartphone use.
Too much screen time can severely impact their eyesight, so they should only be using their phones for a maximum of 3 hours per day. In addition, they should maintain a distance of around 20 to 30 inches away from their eyes.
Posture is also a concern - the position most of us scroll in, hunched over with our head bent down, is very harmful for developing spines and necks, so they should always sit up straight, and hold their phones up, parallel to their line of sight.
Final thoughts
Even though smartphones are part of our everyday life now, including our children’s, it doesn’t mean they are free from danger. In fact, there’s a lot to look out for when it comes to regular smartphone use. It’s not just excessive screen time that we need to be aware of, but also issues like stranger danger, online bullying, and inappropriate content.
The way to teach kids about these things isn’t to ban them outright, but to explain why they’re dangerous, and how they can protect themselves and use their phones in a safe way. From general internet safety to password protection and phishing awareness, it’s more important than ever to teach kids the responsibilities they’re accepting when using their smartphones.
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