As your teens grow up, they will no doubt become interested in using the internet. This might be to connect with their friends, play video games, complete homework, check out certain educational or extracurricular resources (like guitar tabs for that song they love), and various other content types.
Of course, how you approach “the online world” as a parent will entirely depend on your own decisions as a parent. Some families might restrict internet access except when heavily supervised or for specific learning reasons until the child is old enough to have their own device, and that’s perfectly fine. You’re not being restrictive by putting strong limits in place, after all, most of the children in human history were raised without the internet, and yours could be too.
Moreover, it’s important to be very careful about online exposure to harmful content which may or may not be obvious. In this post, then, we’ll discuss how a parent can not only plan their child’s access to the “interwebs,” but how to think about internet privacy and the lessons that might involve:
Walk Through Your Parental Controls
You might put in place some parental control settings on software they can use. That might involve their operating system, chat apps like Discord, and game console settings. Talk through the search setting you’ve applied and tell them the reasoning behind it. It may be that you allow them three hours on the game console a night (just to use an example), and block them from certain age-ratings of video games.
You might also set limits on their laptop use unless doing homework. You could also block certain categories of websites, of course, such as adult material and certain social media apps like TikTok. You can also set up systems to track their usage such as their smartphone web browsing history. It’s important to note that as a parent, you get to decide the parameters you use here.
Understand Internet Privacy
It’s healthy to teach your child how to be safe online. For example, teaching them how to commit to online banking once they have their own bank account is important, as well as being careful about what websites they share their debit card with (and asking your permission before they do) will be important.
It’s good to show them foundational concepts such as asking what is my IP address? Then using that information to show how a VPN can help protect their data when working on schoolwork from home or how you use it when remote working at the office. You can also show them how to use verified websites only by making sure each site visited has an SSL certificate, usually denoted by a lock icon in the browser address bar.
Online Profile Privacy Settings
It’s important to make sure online profile privacy settings are correctly implemented. Your child might have a few online profiles, be that a social media account, a public gaming profile, or even just apps they’ve signed up for, like WhatsApp which is very popular in Europe. Online profile privacy settings mean setting up the profile for access.
For example, you might allow them to have an Instagram account, but only if they set up their privacy settings. Hence, they’re not viewable to any public person who doesn’t know them, and so their personally identifying information or imagery is not uploaded another example could be on the Playstation network, where close friends can see your full name if not deactivated, and so going through each setting is key, and will provide more security for your child.
The same also goes for what you upload on your own account - having images of your children open for the world to see isn’t a good idea, so checking your privacy settings is key.
Consider The Ground Rules
It’s important to be clear about what behavior you expect from your child online. For example, you might discuss material they’re not to see, such as 18+ rated film or movie content.
You can block certain categories like gambling and other sensitive considerations, but a frank discussion about conduct, who might be lurking online, and why it’s perfectly okay to ask questions can help them avoid making a mistake. As is always the case with good parenting, helpful communication gets you most of the way there.
With this advice, you’re certain to teach the correct internet privacy methods to your teens. Over time, this will help them thrive and stay safe despite the wild nature of the internet.
Statement: Collaboration