To help control and monitor your children’s electronic device use, and keep them safe online, Ben Halpert, founder and president of Savvy Cyber Kids Inc., offers these tips for parents.
To help control and monitor your children’s electronic device use, and keep them safe online, Ben Halpert, founder and president of Savvy Cyber Kids Inc., offers these tips for parents.
- Enforce a daily 30-minute technology limit, and set a timer so everyone keeps track of the time. You can allow exceptions for school work.
- When your kids go to bed, so too do electronics. Place them in charging stations away from bedrooms.
- When your children’s friends come to your home, all electronics – even the friends’ devices – are placed in charging stations and in full view of adults.
- Be a good role model, and don’t use technology at the table during meal times.
- Require your kids to ask a parent or guardian before downloading any app or game.
- No chatting or sending photos to people who are not in your real life world.
- Usernames for various online programs should not include personal information such as name, birthday, city, or state where you live. Know all passwords and login information for sites that your kids visit.
- Don’t share private and personal family information online, even if the person who’s asking is a friend.
- Encourage your kids to focus their attention on only one screen at a time.
- Remind your kids to always ask permission from friends and family members before taking their photo. The same goes for posting and sharing photos and videos online.
- Use common sense when your child tells you a story about online activity. If it looks or sounds strange, it probably is.
