As kids and teenagers become wired to social media sites, parents are now in search of ways of how to effectively oversee their accounts. Although solutions like befriending or following them online are met with repulsion from the younger ones, it only takes a smart parent to gain their trust and prevent them from being blocked by their own kid. In this article, we’ll provide you with a list of unobtrusive measures to monitor your children’s online social lives.
Clean your profiles first
Sometimes, people are so quick to judge others without even looking at their own actions. In a post from Verizon Wireless, parents should inspect their accounts first in order to successfully set a good example to the younger ones. If you found any vulgar content in your profile, immediately delete them, especially with inappropriate photos or videos. The author Rosalind Wiseman advised that if we were to share something online, we should first think about its repercussions and how our kids and other people will view us.
Set up your accounts together
Guide them accordingly in utilizing a social media network’s privacy setting. Create a shared email address on Facebook so you can read any message that passes through their account and get notified once they change their password or email address.
Frequently discuss online etiquette with them
According to Edudemic, kids are willing to discuss their online endeavors with their parents. Unfortunately, based on Edudemic’s data, 38% of the respondents have not experienced any serious talk about online safety and etiquette with an adult. In fact, some of them have been exposed to people who have bad mobile usage habits like texting while driving,
It’s best to have an open discussion with your kids. But remember not to take their online activities against them. Remember that trust is hard to gain once broken.
Be a passive observer
Resist the urge to comment on every post found on your kid’s wall. Remember that the point of befriending and following them is not to interact but rather, to monitor their actions without drawing too much attention towards you. If you want to have a light conversation about that funny video that you saw on YouTube or a serious one about that questionable status update you saw on their wall, do that at home instead. It is more intimate and it prevents any misunderstandings from happening.
In addition, be courteous and don’t flood their walls with content even if it is informative or family related. Give them the respect that they deserve by asking their permission first if you can share something in their accounts.
These days, kids are getting better at utilizing modern digital tools. But even with their prowess in handling computers and smartphones, parents still have a big part to play in their child’s development because there are some things that Google and a mobile application just cannot teach. If you really want your child to live a holistic lifestyle in the digital age, always be up to date with the latest trends in technology so you can give sound pieces of advice about how to use the internet for good use.
Care to share other effective methods in monitoring a child’s social life? Post your ideas below. We love to learn new ideas from our beloved readers.
WISER TOMORROW 