How can we keep kids safe on social media

[yajtagaamo]

Kids nowadays are really experimental and easy going because of that attitude it can expose them to the dangers of social media. So I would like to ask parents here how do you keep your children safe on social media?

 

[joey_2tep]

I have a son and my wife and I have been sharing thoughts and ideas about it. Kids generation nowadays are the most social media savvy than ever. A very high percentage of kids online use some form of social media, and they're sharing more information about themselves on social networks than they have in the past.
While growing up online has its benefits, it poses new risks. Between cyberbullying, oversharing and giving into peer pressure, a child's misuse of a social network can turn into a serious problem. Say "no" as long as you can. Many experts agree that middle-school aged children are simply too young to understand the potential dangers. But for some parents, allowing kids to have a way to share photos or communicate with friends seems harmless.
Be sure to check online search history and deleted items, including email and texts. Discuss anything that concerns you. And most importantly is to set time limit for it because most of these children got their normal activities affected by spending too much time online.

 

[noli manalo]

Well ultimately, clearly there should be a proper age for us to allow our kids to have a social media account. It's just like watching the television. Our kids should be guided on what they are exposed to. But social media is another thing. Television shows are regulated as to the amount of nudity and violence, but social media is not so I think we parents should know better if our kids are mature enough and responsible enough for us to allow them to have their personal social media account.

 

[jovitzdgreat]

We do not know the exact or the best way how to discipline a child and refrain from sites that are not good for them. Children nowadays are dependent on digital world, we cannot stop them on visiting a site due to curiosity. We may explain to them and tell them what site should be visited or what social media should be opened. I advise not to discuss to them the sites that are not good because this will increase their curiosity adn be tempted to visit the said site.

 

[justraf16]

How can we keep kids safe on social media?
Kids today are very into gadgets and they were even the first to discover new things out of it. And because of this friendly stuff they could easily access social media and even create an account for them. I think the best thing to do to make them safe is to have an eye for supervision. Nagging to them could only trigger to their mind to explore some more. So they will secretly still do it, during your absence. I guess talking to them, telling them possible things would happen in social media will make them aware.

 

[jemuelterrado]

As far as i know there are lots of software or applications that helps underage users to limit their browsing sites. The applications blocks all the sites which is considered as harmful or can cause bad influence the child users for example of this is avast safezone browsers. We should install this applications so that parents will be confident on letting their child use the internet without worrying. The other way also is blocking websites through the browser settings. This would be very helpful because it avoid user to visit the site listed in the block list. Even though we have this applications, we must put our attention still on our child.

 

[sammy-san]

I agree that kids these days should be carefully monitored by their parents, considering the vast influence of the internet among the youth today. Children no longer have to own a desktop computer or enter a computer shop to have full internet access. With a touchscreen mobile phone they can already watch countless videos and read various messages on social media sites which have been deemed inappropriate for their current age. Although parents have the capacity to facilitate their kids, they won't always be around to guide them. Hence, it's imperative for the whole family to have open discussions during lunch time or dinner time about what should be and shouldn't be done online. Generally speaking, we cannot preclude young children from exploring online. But the elders may constantly remind them. In addition, online security measures should be enhanced by global companies.

 

[argel241]

You are right kids are really experimental even my 15 months old baby already knows how to use a laptop and it's amazing how advanced the young ones nowadays.Well, we cannot stop them from using social media but a proper guidance and reminders will keep them safe from any harm.

 

[Onanadipo]

Educate them good values, no one can fool the mind of a educated person they'll just ignore all those bad stuffs in social media.

 

[lavender43]

Good day! Its a very nice question.
I'm a parent myself. A single parent to be exact. My child right now is still young for any social media. He only uses the internet for games or watching cartoon videos. As for the question, honestly speaking, I can't think of a good way to make them safe. Well I can't just grab the mobile phone and hid them away so he can't socializing any strangers on social media.
I'll just have to read some of the posts here and maybe I can learn something and use it for my child.

 

[ion]

I think they should have a minimum hours of using some gadgets. The browser should also have some security lock if they will browse to unknown site. Right now, there's a lot of application can use to lock your browser to, let me say porn or any other site which is not applicable to them. The guidance of parents should also include to that, they should talk to their kids about what kind of environment they might be encounter by browsing the internet.

 

[msg17]

Most kids nowadays are exposed to social media. And that is for a fact because kids enjoy the entertainment that a social media site can give to them. But, being exposed in the social media world will also cause a lot of trouble and danger for kids. That is why I suggest that before the parents of a child allow him or her to use the internet or the social media apps, they must first keep in mind that ensuring their kids' safety is a must. That is why I suggest that parents should BLOCK the sites that their kids should not access or should not go to.

 

[fern2x2001]

We are just new parents and that is one our major concern for our little daughter. Social media nowadays are really easy to access. You don't even need a personal computer. Even with just a cheap android phone could grant you access to social media as long as there is internet access. Well, I'm thinking to limit the use of gadgets that have access to internet, and as much as possible, keep watch while they are on the internet. Another tool that could help are those apps that keep track of the activities done within a certain gadget. Just like the history tool in the pc where you could see the sites that have been visited by the user. And if possible, block those sites that do no good for our young ones to minimize the danger to their young minds.

 

[hgonzales2]

Well, I absolutely know the risk of using social media nowadays . First thing is that I don't allow them to have their own social media accounts. Playing mobile phone games is fine but making their own account to a certain social network is a big NO NO. To be honest, I'm trying to put a limit on their use of tablet or smart phone because I don't want them to be dependent on it especially when it comes to their homeworks. I still encourage them to read and use books when doing their assignments and projects.

 

[Michelle P. Camo]

I am also a parent and I allow my daughter to browse the internet and check her own social media but every once and a while I am checking her social media and checking all of her activities. I even check all the sites that she visits. So far, I never notice any bad things that she check so far and I always remind her that I am allowing her to check and use social media but she should not do and watch something that I don't like or else she will definitely be grounded for using everything.

 

[Karl Joshua]

We can protect our kids from to much intimacy with social network through time management, forced control, limiting data usages, training new hobbies and engaging in outdoor activities. Modern age kids or what we call Millenials were not aware that communicating with friends and family through these media never build up their skills and improve their cognitive skills. Teaching them to be more enthusiastic with daily learnings and applications will boost their knowledge and interest regarding life.

 

[CookieRunner]

Personally, I am not yet a parent but I know whats happening nowadays in the Real World of this Generation, The Millenials -- I have observed that they are really dependent and addicted with the Internet and gadgets. Maybe if your child gets curious with Social Media, you can explain or educate them first the dangers of the Online World so that they wouldn't be that experimental and let them know what your rules are regarding the usage of the gadget. Look into them and check on the websites that they are visiting and ask them if they have questions.
Prevention would be the key and Guide them. Communicate with them.

 

[ayeshajan888]

Social media is taking its heights nowadays. Everywhere you go, you will see adults and kids alike are using internet. Kids as young as two or three years old are using gadgets and they know how to access the different sites. Parents are the ones who give gadgets to their kids so they must be responsible enough to educate them on how to use the different social media sites. Parents must explain to them the good and bad effects of using it. Telling kids not to go to various sites will only trigger their curiosity to open it. Yes, you can supervise their actions when their at home but when they go out with their friends you have no control of their actions. For me as a parent, I always see to it that I communicate with them,explaining to them the news reports behind the tragic incidents that are happening because of the influence of social media.

 

[Jim15]

Nowadays, there are lots of hacker in the world when it comes to social media accounts. In order to protect yourself from it, you should not include your personal informations or post anything from any social medias like your atm cards, bank accounts, passport, and many other important things. This will keep hacker away from you and your personal things.

 

[Trent652x]

The reality is that we cannot keep our kids totally safe on social media. There are two ways that I try to apply to keep my son safe on social media though. The first way is to have the parental block on at all times, where my son can't reach certain pages or where I'm notified if something seems fishy. The second way is to be very transparent with my son. I interact with him a great deal so he feels open and comfortable enough to come to me if he sense something isn't right with whatever social media app he's using.