Teaching Children to Use Social Media Wisely

Most kids have a profile on a social networking site and utilize social media. These sites are frequently visited by a large number of people daily making teaching children to use social media wisely has become a top priority for parents.

Social media has numerous advantages, but it also comes with a slew of dangers and issues that young people should steer clear of. When people share something online, they don’t always make the best decisions, which might lead to problems. Talking to your children about how to use social media responsibly is, therefore, quite important.

Is there anything positive to say about using social media?

Children’s use of social media can be beneficial:

• keep in touch with loved ones
• By contributing their time and talents to a cause, a campaign, or a nonprofit organization, individuals can expand their capacity for creative thinking and expression.
• Meet and socialize with people who share your passions.
• students and faculty members alike

What Is Wrong With Social Media?

There is a downside to social media, such as cyberbullying and unethical actions, which can thrive there. Inadvertently, kids can post more than they should online.

For the vast majority of young people:

• utilize their true names or images of themselves on their online profiles
• give their birthdates and other personal details
• Make it easy for online predators to find them by posting their school name and the town where they live.

In truth, a large number of teenagers claim to have:

• someone they didn’t know approached them online in a way that made them feel uneasy or terrified
• lied about their age to gain access to websites that were inappropriate for their age

Anxieties and Repercussions

In addition to the dangers of cyberbullying and online predators, children risk encountering the wrong person in real life. When an app is utilized, the position of the poster is immediately revealed. This information can be used to pinpoint the location of the individual who is utilizing the app.

Online content, such as images, videos, and comments, generally cannot be retrieved once it has been posted. The Internet does not remove itself, even if a teen believes that anything has been deleted.

When a future employer or college admissions officer runs a background check, an unsuitable photo can harm a person’s reputation for years to come. Sending a sarcastic SMS, even if it’s meant as a joke, can be extremely painful and even perceived as a threat to someone else.

You can get depressed by spending too much time on social media, too. When kids see how many “friends” their peers have and how much fun they appear to be having, they may begin to doubt their own abilities or feel as if they don’t measure up to their peers.

What can parents do to help?

Keeping tabs on your children’s internet activities is especially important if you’re a parent.. Snooping them, on the other hand, can alienate them and undermine the relationship of trust you’ve developed with them. Keep an eye on them, but don’t invade their privacy.

Your children need to know that it’s crucial to:

• Be a gentleman and a lady. Negative behavior is not acceptable. Make it plain to your children that you expect them to treat people with respect and never post nasty or embarrassing messages on social media sites. Ask your children to always notify you if somebody posts harassing or bullying messages on social media.
• Educate teenagers about the dangers of what they publish online and how it can be used against them. A burglar’s opportunity to strike increases if you announce your absence from home or post your home address online. Teens should also refrain from sharing party or event locations or phone numbers online.

• As a general rule, ask yourself, “What would Grandma say?” Unless you want your professors, college admissions officers, possible employers, and even your grandmother to read your social media posts, don’t do it.
• Privacy settings can be used to your advantage. Privacy settings are critical….. Make sure your kids understand each one by going over them together. As a side note, explain to your customers that passwords are there to protect them from identity theft. Even if they have a boyfriend, girlfriend, or best friend, they should never discuss their feelings about them with anyone else.
• Strangers should not be “friended.” “Don’t friend them if you don’t know them.” This is an easy-to-understand and safe guideline.

Creating a Contract

Parents should consider signing an agreement with their children on using social media. As a result, they pledge to keep their personal information private, evaluate the impact on their reputation, and refrain from disclosing it to third parties. They also agree not to bully or gossip about others using technology.

Teens’ privacy is respected while parents make an attempt to participate in social media. You can “friend” them and keep an eye on them, but you shouldn’t post anything embarrassing like rants about their messy rooms.

Setting media usage limits is another way parents can help keep their children grounded in reality. Don’t allow laptops or cellphones to be used in bedrooms, keep computers in public places, and create some limits for the usage of technology (such as no devices at the dinner table).

Also, don’t forget that your own online conduct can go a long way toward teaching your children how to use social media responsibly.

Meaningful articles you might like: 15 Educational Online Games For Your Kids, 7 Tips for Preparing Children for Online and Blended Learning, The Best Ways to Discuss Online Scams with Your Teens