How Our Children Can Benefit Better From the Internet (and How We Can Police It)
Technology is playing a pivotal role in our homes and with all the information we have access to we’ve got to remember that our children can benefit from the internet but they can also suffer. While there is much research being conducted on the use of technology by children the results are very mixed. Some suggest that in the correct environment it can be very beneficial but some say young children should not be exposed at all. And this is why we need to ensure that our parental and technical skills are working together effectively. What can we do to make sure that our children use the internet safely but are also getting the most out of it?
Proper Safeguarding Practices
The first thing that we need to address is to make sure that our technical skills are covered should we find ourselves unable to protect our children from what is out there. There are things we can incorporate at this point, such as a VPS (Virtual Private Server). We can find a cheap VPS online which can at the very least give us some protection from hackers. But we also need to make sure that we communicate the best practices. We need to check that our children are engaging with high-quality content and if any social elements to the apps are appropriate for them according to their age. Additionally, you need to make sure that they cannot be contacted by strangers. You also need to speak to your child about the risks of speaking to people they do not know.
Understanding the Limits to Screen Time
This is something that we hear so much about, however, there are so many benefits to limiting screen time. We have to remember that the blue lights being emitted from the screens can disrupt our sleep patterns. If you find your child is tired ensuring that you turn screens off one hour before bedtime should make a big difference. But you should also think about having a blue light filter on the screens. Screen time is one of those things that can be hard to police so you may benefit from having apps that shut off after a while.
Choose online games your child can play
A great tip is to find games you know that your child will enjoy playing that you have checked to ensure that they are suitable. It might be educational app games or even something like spider solitaire which gets the mind working. This will make it easy for your child to stick with pre-approved gaming websites and apps and so you can monitor things easily.
Focusing on the Best Qualities of Internet Use
The biggest problem everybody has with regards to the internet is the treasure trove of information out there. We have access to so much that we don’t actually absorb information in the right way. And this is an ideal opportunity to teach our children the benefits of internet use. We can use educational games that help our children to interact and improve their hand-eye coordination while also ensuring that they learn one new thing every day rather than sticking to the same content.
The internet is something that can improve our lives, but we have to remember that for our children growing up and we need to learn the best habits not just for them but for us. Getting it right will mean that our children can use the internet for all the benefits it poses, rather than the negative ones.
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