prolifeproliberty:

pennamites:

Letting your children on the internet before they’re at least ten years old is bad parenting tbh, and even after you do let them online you should monitor what they’re doing. I understand “we live in a digital world now” but that doesn’t mean you should throw your children into it from the moment of birth.

I taught 4th grade this past year, and 10-year-olds have access to so much more than I did at their age. My students watched Rick and Morty, Orange is the New Black, It, and other R-rated and inappropriate shows and movies. They played GTA, COD, and other intense, violent, rated M games.

This exposure to adult media impacted how they spoke and interacted with each other. They had difficulty forming healthy friendships. Disagreements escalated quickly and several times I had to stop students from getting in fistfights.

Heck, the year before I taught 1st grade and a 7-YEAR-OLD male student made sexual threats against a female classmate.

So here’s how to keep your kid safe in a “Digital Age”:

PARENTAL CONTROLS. If your child is going to use a computer, whitelist the sites they can use. Make sure the passcode you use to set these restrictions is not easily guessed (don’t use birthdays or other info your kid knows) because kids WILL try to get around restrictions.

MONITOR. Don’t let your kid on the internet for long periods of time without checking in on what they’re doing. Don’t let them use the internet in their room with the door closed. I say this as someone who did get away with stuff I shouldn’t have been doing on the internet when I was about 10-12, because my parents let me sit in the computer room with the door closed and unfettered access all day long. Even the most innocent, well-behaved kid can get into stuff they shouldn’t VERY easily.

COMMUNICATE. Talk to your kids about internet safety and potential risks of internet usage. Talk to them about the sites they’re using and the videos they’re watching. Focus the conversation on keeping them safe so they know they can come to you if they ever feel unsafe or uncomfortable on the internet.

SET THE EXAMPLE. Limit your own internet usage and increase time spent as a family playing games, eating meals without devices, and talking. Kids will follow what they see. If you’re glued to your phone/laptop all day, they’ll want to be as well.

POSITIVE RESOURCES: Find kid-friendly and educational websites to help your kid have positive experiences on the internet. Some examples:

• Kiddle.co is a kid-friendly search engine, great for completing research projects for school.
• Abcya.com has a lot of fun educational games aligned with common core standards.
• Code.org has programs for kids to learn coding and make their own games.