Raising digital citizens Teach your children to stay safe online

1. info@singleparentsonholiday.co.uk Raising digital citizens: Teach your children to stay safe online

2. info@singleparentsonholiday.co.uk If someone had asked you about digital media before having children, you would most likely have said that your kids won’t own digital devices until the age of at least 12. You would also have launched into a tirade about how children’s young brains can’t fully grasp the rules of being digital citizens. Fast forward ten years or so, and you have kids that are practically attached to their digital devices, not least because they need them to do their homework and studies. You might also want your children to feel socially connected and allow them to use smartphones and tablets to stay in touch with friends. You are aware that screens have become a part of your children’s lives, and you tell them to be cautious when they browse the Internet. But it’s easy to forget for parents, especially single parents who are juggling children, work, and household chores solo, to teach the little ones just how dangerous the digital universe is – until bad things happen. 7 Tips to keep the kids safe online Keeping your kids safe online starts with teaching them how to be digital citizens from a young age. Here are our top tips on how to get started:

3. info@singleparentsonholiday.co.uk 1. Spend time together online Your children talk all day about the things they like, and that includes popular TV shows, and favourite online games. Use this as a starting point to identify an online activity you could do together. While playing an online game or watching a TV series, use that opportunity to discuss online safety. Ask them questions about their best-loved online games and websites and show enthusiasm about engaging in the activities they find interesting to determine how they behave online. This will make it easier to talk about online security with them. 2. Watch online safety tutorials with your kids If you don’t know how to start a conversation about online security with your children, you can watch a short video together and discuss the issues presented. You can find several resources online for children of all ages. For children younger than 7, you can watch cartoons together that provide an introduction to online safety. Older kids can watch animations and even play games that will teach kids the basic principles of cyber security. 3. Establish rules around accessing digital devices One crucial rule to establish is that your children should always ask for permission before using a digital device or going online, as they would if they wanted to visit a friend’s house. By asking them to get permission first, you send a message – namely, that their screen time is monitored.

4. info@singleparentsonholiday.co.uk 4. Set time limits If your children need screens to do certain activities, make sure you have rules on the length of time they are allowed to use internet-connected devices. You can set time limits on most digital devices either through settings or through a parental control software or an apps. 5. Teach your children to be suspicious The Internet is a great source of information and can be very educational for children. Unfortunately, it also exposes children to a great amount of false and often disturbing information. Everyone can post what they like on the Internet and your children and teenagers must be aware that not everything they read or hear online is true. It’s crucial to teach your kids the ability to differentiate between accurate and false information.  6. Determine what you are comfortable with Have a think about what you are comfortable and not comfortable with in terms of your children’s online activities, so you can establish clear rules. For example, if you want to make sure that the kids don’t engage with strangers, carefully select the apps they can access. You can sign up for kids’ apps that require an adult to review and approve any chat they might have to join when the other party isn’t part of your pre-approved contact list. 

5. info@singleparentsonholiday.co.uk 7. Get your kids to think about their online behaviour Because we all feel more anonymous when they browse the Internet, your children might not behave in the same way as they would in the real world. Talk to your kids about this, so they can understand that they should engage with Internet users as they would in the real world i.e. treating everyone with kindness and respect. Final thoughts: Monitoring screen time and online activities is no easy task in today’s digital world. Parents carry a huge responsibility raising children in today’s environment, and educating their children on the opportunities and dangers of the Internet is just one of many tasks they need to deal master. We hope our tips on how to teach children to stay safe online and become responsible digital citizens have helped a little! About the author – Single Parents on Holiday: Single Parents on Holiday is the only UK tour operator offering single parent group holidays in the UK and abroad. In addition, we also provide singles holidays for our single parent empty nesters, single parents who want to have a break and travel without the kids and any  other solo travellers. These holidays are exclusively for adults. For more information go to singles holidays over 50. If you liked this article, why not subscribe to our blog? We publish one post per week on average and you can unsubscribe at any time.

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