As we move deeper and deeper into the digital world, all children around the world are having to grow up with an even more nuanced sense of computer literacy. And as a parent, that’s something you want to encourage!
We all know the internet can be a dangerous place to be, and you want your kids to be able to identify and avoid the people and websites that potentially mean them harm. And to better do that, they need to know the value of privacy from a young age. As soon as they're old enough to use a phone or a computer, they should know how to stay private in the online world.
Privacy is Important for Their Future
The more private they are, the less there is a future prospect who can find out about them. A lot of the time a person can be denied a job because of something they’ve tweeted in the past, or a picture on their Facebook, and that can be a scary thought for a parent.
Your child has a right to have fun and ‘goof off’ with their friends, but if that’s posted everywhere it could harm their opportunities as an adult. It’s why using social media privacy settings is key.
On platforms like Facebook (specifically) you can set your profile to be available only to people you’re already friends with. Teach your kids that they can have fun online, but it’s best to only allow certain, trusted people to see them.
They Become Harder to Hack
If your child knows that the internet can be a dangerous place, they’re much more likely to take to online privacy. This is why it’s key to tell them about hackers: nasty people who’ll do anything to get their details. You don’t have to give them the real ins and outs, but they need to know some people out there aren’t nice.
Once you build this block, you can teach them how to be cautious. For example, never clicking a link they’re not sure about/weren’t expecting from a friend or a teacher, as well as how to change your ip address and why someone would need to do that. The more they know now, the better they’ll be prepared, especially for those tricky teen years!
They’ll Make Better Online Friends
And finally, your kids will come across all kinds of people online, and sometimes they’re going to want to make friends. But when they know the privacy rules, kids can always be sure someone is who they say they are. It’ll be easier to make worthwhile, trustworthy friendships that’ll last, and simply because they know how to scan a profile and to always be wary of messages.
Online privacy is key to using the internet safely, and kids need to know that as soon as possible. Kids should know that while social media makes it seem cool to share anything and everything, that may come back to bite them.
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