Should parents monitor their teen’s social media usage?
1. Creating privacy and boundaries with your child
The Internet is making it much easier to create privacy and boundaries with your children. With social media, kids can post things online that parents might not know about. This creates a problem because parents do not know what to do with this information.
It is essential that parents monitor what their children are doing on the Internet. One of the main problems with social sites like Facebook is that it is much easier for a child to get into mischief with a parent that they know is not monitoring their child’s activities. That is why parents should join a site like The Social Media Examiner so they can see what their children are doing on the Internet. Often, parents will find things like pictures on the social site of their child’s friends that they are not familiar with. When confronted, these children can say they are just friends and refuse to explain the situation.
No one wants to watch their child get involved with people who have ill intent. But in today’s world, it is much easier for children to get in trouble with the wrong crowd. Especially on social media sites, where there is no actual face to face communication, things can get out of hand. Parents need to be cautious with their child’s social media use. They need to establish some ground rules so that children can manage their own online activity, but they should also be aware of the dangers. After all, you are the only parent that can keep your child safe from Internet predators, so do what you can to protect them now while they are young.
Helping your teen take some time off the internet can help them and you. Some great activities to do together can be cooking, baking, playing board games, going on walks and much more. Learning a new hobby can be a great way to learn a new skill, relieve stress, and in the future certain hobbies can be used as a side hustle. Cooking is a fantastic skill to teach your children and cooking as a family is a fun bonding experience. You can cooking tips, family recipes as well as how to be mindful in the kitchen by conserving your resources which can help save on ingredient, as well as your water and NYSEG costs.
2. Creating a verbal dialogue with your child about the dangers of being online
When your child is ready to be computer-aged, you will need to have a conversation about the dangers of being online. Your child probably has no problem with being online, but they may not understand the dangers of being online. This is where having a conversation with your child about the dangers of being online comes into play. Explain to your child that they should never allow anyone on their computer or let anyone access their email accounts unless there is explicit permission from your child. Explain to your child that there are predators on the Internet that can prey on children and that it is important for them to be cautious when they are on the computer.
It is your responsibility as a parent to monitor what your children are doing on the Internet. You should know everything that your children are visiting and using on their computer. You should also be aware of their activities online. If something seems inappropriate, do not hesitate to stop them from doing that activity.
Be cautious with your child’s discussions online. If they are having an online conversation with someone you do not know well, be sure they do not provide their name, phone number, or address. Also, if you are ever uncomfortable with who they are talking with take a screen shot of the chat session that they are having and store it away. Take this screen shot to your computer and have a chat with your child one day after you have saved the chat session.
3. Decide what type of monitoring will be beneficial for you and your child
When looking to monitor your child’s internet activity, it’s important to decide what online monitoring will be beneficial to you. There are many choices available for you and a great deal of them require that you install equipment in your child’s home, or place limits on their internet usage. Before you begin to decide which option is best for your situation, it’s helpful to understand exactly how your child uses the computer and what information you wish to track.
Another problem that many parents run into is not being aware of any software programs that have been installed on their computers. While there are some parental control software options that provide protection, it is often difficult to keep track of what has been installed or removed. Another problem that many people run into is trying to find the right protection for their computer. You need to make sure that your software matches the type of computer that you have and that it works seamlessly with your computer.
If you decide that you want to install monitoring software on your computer, there are a few things you need to consider. How easy is it to uninstall the program? Is it difficult to do so if your child leaves the house or does not use the internet? Will the installation and removal of the program cause any problems with the operation of the internet connection in your home? This is especially important if your child does not use the internet for browsing, but simply for checking email.
Monitoring software can be very beneficial, but you also need to make sure that you trust the company who provides the monitoring to your home. When you begin to ask these questions, you can determine if the software is going to be as effective as you want it to be. The goal of parental control programs is to help keep an eye on your child’s internet activity. However, there are companies who have been known to monitor internet usage without permission of the parent. You need to make sure that you will not have any of those types of experiences.
Deciding what type of online monitoring will be beneficial for your child is not an easy task. There are many different considerations that need to be made before you can decide which program to use. It may be helpful for you to find a company who offers free trials to their product. This way, you can test the system and see if it is effective before you actually purchase the product
