How to teach your kids to use digital media

To protect your child from prevalent online hazards such as: cyberbullying, online predators, and sexting, you need to teach your kids digital etiquette. Use parental control apps to let them understand how to use social media responsibly.

Being surrounded by electronic gadgets since birth, kids know the devices like the back of their hands. Technology can be a great resource for education and entertainment for children, but parents should also consider the health implications of screen time.

Parents, with the help of child monitoring apps, can teach their kids the ways of being in control of tech-life balance. The following are a few points to keep in mind while establishing family guidelines for safe and satisfying technology use. We created this list of tips especially for those of you who wish to know how to teach your kids to use digital media properly.

Parenting tips for promoting healthy technology use among children

• Do not overreact

Whether we like it or not, technology is an indispensable part of our modern world. Setting overly restrictive limits on child never helps in the long run. Instead, it would send a message that technology is something to fear, which it is clearly not.

Try to keep yourself in your child’s shoes and ask yourself – how would you feel if you request an elder for anything and all you get is a ‘no’ most of the time? Let your kids have experience in the digital media, make them understand the correct way to proceed by being there for them. Overreacting is never a good idea when you know how to teach your kids to use digital media properly.

The focus should be on teaching healthy habits that will stay with your child for a lifetime. And kid’s safety apps help you achieve that.

• Teach kids about technology from an earlier age

Yes, it is essential to teach them about technology when they are young. It does not mean handing over the gadgets to pacify them when they are just toddlers. When they reach a certain age, they gradually introduce them to the devices.

First, explain that tablets, computers, and other gadgets are not toys and should be handled with care. Discuss the benefits of technology as well as the risks without frightening them.

Let your kids know the importance of respecting privacy and protecting personal information by applying proper privacy settings. And as they grow older, conversations should become more detailed.

• Lead by example

Children are like sponges; they absorb from the surroundings, and parents are someone who can influence them the most. If you just keep preaching without following your words, you can imagine what impression your child would get!

When your child is trying to converse with you, and you reply mindlessly staring at your phone, they would get the impression that the smartphone enjoys a priority over them. Be attentive and let them know people mater, not the phones.

• Be a good judge

You need to use your judgmental skills, whether it is about your child’s maturity or the situation when they are demanding the use of it. No one knows your child better than you.

Screen-time limits are a good idea at times, but you need to consider the context when establishing technology-rules for your family. Video calling with family members is different from playing a video game.

The world won’t end if you are entertaining your preschooler because the situation wouldn’t allow you to do anything else. If they are doing research for a school assignment, or they are gathering more knowledge across the web for something of their interest, it wouldn’t be wrong to let them use the device.

With child monitoring apps, prohibit your child from accessing inappropriate content. 

• Keep updating yourself

As a parent, it is your responsibility to prepare your child for their future. You need to be aware of the ever-evolving technology to teach them how to work within social boundaries and to continue to discover how society works.

Children, by nature, are comfortable with the technical side of the online world. Still, they have to understand that the internet, being a public place, requires the enforcement of some privacy settings to ensure their reputation remains intact.

Parents need to guide, educate, and support the children with an understanding of their world and a clear perspective of all they face. Get accurate parenting advice with parental control apps.

• Regulate kid’s bedtime

According to research, the blue light emitted from smartphones stifles the natural production of the sleep hormone – melatonin. So, physicians recommend that screens should be avoided at least an hour before going to bed.

It is better to set a rule for elders as well as children that no device should be allowed in the bedroom. Going to bed on time regulates a child’s body clock, which helps them to have a regular schedule.

Maintain your child’s schedule with the help of kid’s safety apps.

• Be attentive to their online activities

When kids are younger, you can easily monitor what they’re doing online. As they grow, it gets difficult. Parents should have honest discussions about what sites and content are off-limits.

Look into the media your child is using, and check out your child’s browser history to see what sites they visit.

• Enforce digital etiquette

Teach your child a basic set of rules pertaining to behavior that needs to be followed to ensure the safety and integrity of every internet user, including them.

They need to understand the use of good manners in online communication such as email, forums, blogs, and social media. With the facility to stay behind the screens, people often say things online that they would never say to someone’s face.

There is a rise in the number of teens who have witnessed cyberbullying. Talk to your children about the importance of being considerate and respectful in their digital interactions.

• Talk about digital decision-making

It is difficult to ascertain whether some websites offer reliable information or not. Talk to your child about ways to evaluate authenticity and accuracy online.

Explain why they should refrain from downloading unfamiliar programs, or clicking on suspicious links, or sharing personal information on unknown apps or websites. Also, ask them not to respond to messages from strangers.

• Help them to develop social skills and trust you

Before learning how to teach your kids to use digital media properly, it’s important to teach them to trust you.

Encourage them to approach you if they ever witness cyberbullying or other troubling information online.

Some kids prefer to spend more time online than playing with friends in real life. Tell them, digital friendships can never replace real friends. Help your child to nurture their real-life relationships.

• Invest in a parenting control app

Bit Guardian Parental Control helps you monitor your child’s online activities. It is a godsend for parents who are apprehensive about their children’s safety in the digital world.

Parental control apps allow parents to block inappropriate apps, to limit the screen time, to set a geofence around a child, and many more. You can also block anonymous, unwanted, spam calls, or calls from known numbers.

Bit Guardian Parental Control is a child monitoring app that permits you to filter or restrict access to content on a child’s phone that’s off-limits. It comprises of various features that are mentioned above.

Now we know that refraining the kids from using the devices is not an option. It would be like stripping them of fun and entertainment, and more importantly, personal growth, as well as skill-building, get compromised.

Parents who know how to teach their kids to use digital media properly can create a safer digital world for their precious ones. Just be present and guide your child by downloading a parental control app for android.