children activity should be monitored

Online Activities: Monitor your Child’s Media Usage

3 years ago

Over the last few years, the world has been making great advances in the technological field. Modern technology has evolved so much that it has taken over our lives to such an extent where survival without technology seems implausible. Although this is a good thing for the society, the surge in the use of internet has bought in some unforeseen dangerous and negative challenges especially on the youngster. Adolescence is an environment which is both influential and vulnerable because this is when they go through a lot of learning processes. Internet is such a place that is filled with a lot of content that could sometimes be mentally disturbing and harmful. Here is a list of reasons why you should monitor your child’s internet activity:

Reputation

Children make mistakes while growing up, it is part of their learning process. But once things are posted online, it remains there forever. It could be buried deep within the internet but it will always exist like a permanent tattoo. So parents need to be aware of what their child is sharing or posting online. You should see that they are not posting personal information about themselves which could bring harm to their reputation. In a few years, if an admissions council or a potential employer searches for your child on the internet they shouldn’t find things which could damage their future.

Cyberbullying

Online Activities: Monitor your Child’s Media Usage
Protect you children from Cyberbullying

Children these days are constantly being bullied by strangers and their peers on the internet. By keeping an eye on their children, parents can intervene and help them out of situations before it escalates. Parents should check for signs like children receiving unpleasant messages, kids being harassed or made fun of in public, finding their child being hesitant in going to school, illegal activities and suspicious behaviour. Parents can monitor these activities through their child’s website history. This can save your child from being cyberbullied or save another child from being harassed by your own.

Sexual Content

Modern teens and kids are in constant communication with each other. Even websites these days provide easy access to pornography. Your child could also be sharing private text messages, photos and videos with strangers thinking it would never see the light of day. They could be compromising their privacy by providing personal information to bullies and blackmailers and could be completely unaware of the same. One wrong move and they can even be facing legal charges in the court of law. Parents can avoid such hassles by parental control features on their child’s smart devices.

Identity Theft

Kids tend to easily disclose sensitive information like home addresses and family details. This makes their family members vulnerable to bank account and credit card frauds. They may never realize that the unsuspicious YouTube video link they clicked connects to a malware which enables hackers to track keystrokes through key logger viruses. This makes it easier for hackers to steal passwords and social media account details to commit frauds through stolen identities. By monitoring your child’s usage you can avoid such risks.

Viruses

The Internet is also a place where your kids could easily fall prey to these harmful viruses and malware. They may fail to understand the risks of downloading files on to their systems. Some viruses can be removed easily but hackers could blackmail you for a ransom to clear the virus out of the system. Parents must track websites visited by their teens and ensure that good antivirus software’s are installed to protect their personal information.

Stalking

The most common problem among teens and children are internet stalking. One’s with Facebook accounts may find themselves very vulnerable when it comes to stalking. Repeated messages and email are some of the popular forms of stalking. But access to private information like contact details through social media accounts could turn into repeated phone calls and one could even draw in unwanted and unexpected visitors home. To ensure this from escalating, one must monitor their child’s chats and their phone call history and look for strangers in their friend’s list.

Screen Time

Screen time includes all devices like smartphones, computer systems, tablets, TV’s etc. As per the American Academy of Pediatrics on average children spend seven hours a day in front of the screen. Although it provides knowledge, it could affect their sleep schedules due to which they may face difficulties in paying attention in school. They could become obese due to limited physical activity. Parents can avoid such hassles by reducing the child’s screen time.

To help your child in the best way possible, tell them that you are monitoring their internet and screen time activities for their good. Establish rules as per your family values and needs and tell them that there would be consequences if they fail to follow these rules. Be honest and tell them that they can always come to your with problems.

Rachana Y

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