It’s a fact that in our modern day lifestyle technology has a great impact on our lives. The reality is our children are immersed in it from the day they are brought home from the hospital. As parents it is our responsibility to make sure our children are always safe. Internet safety begins with a frank ongoing conversation that will grow and change along with the needs of your family.
photo credit by IvanWalsh.com
In my house the internet is a privilege which means there are rules to follow. Break the rules and you will lose your privilege. This is not just a technology lesson but a life lesson of how actions your child can control have immediate consequences in their lives.
There are two main rules you must establish:
First you must decide what websites your children are allowed to visit.
There are gaming websites where you can play games all day for pure entertainment then there are educational websites where games serve to teach children skills. In addition you must determine if they are mature enough to visit social websites like Facebook or Myspace.
Types of Sites:
- Gaming – pure entertainment; shooting games; some sites connect to other players
- Educational – interactive, designed to teach skills
- Social Media – Facebook, Myspace, Twitter
- Video Chat/ Text Chatting
- Blogs
- News
- Search Engines
Second, you must decide how much time your children should be allowed on a specific activity.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children younger than 2 years old have no screen time, and children over the age of 2 into adolescence limit screen time to two hours or less a day.
Remember success requires you to follow through by sticking to the guidelines you have set.
Tips:
- Setting a timer
- Monitoring Software
Be involved.
Pay attention and join in the fun alongside your children.
Keep reading and learning.
Everything you do will help prepare your child for the future.
Prior to becoming parents, my nephews would come to visit us every summer from the states. They were allowed a certain amount of time on the computer and then they had to go outside and play basketball or the small park near our home. If they were fighting over who was on the computer more time or less, it would be taken away. They really prepared us for what we are about to embark on with our daughter.
Sounds like you are creating a nice balance for your extended family. 🙂
Some great insight on the two hour rule. I have to say that I wonder how many people have factored in the third screen (mobile phones) some people leave that time unaccounted for.
Great Advice Letty!
Thanks R. Not to mention during the school year children spend class time on the computer. 🙂
Exactly!!! Which makes it even more critical to set those limits at the house!
Some great insight on the two hour rule. I have to say that I wonder how many people have factored in the third screen (mobile phones) some people leave that time unaccounted for.
Great Advice Letty!
Really great points Letty! In our home we have set sites that we know we can trust, without all the obnoxious pop-ups, etc. I know that there are many kids games sites that have tons of pop-ups and ads that can take children to places that would be completely inappropriate, so we always try to avoid letting her play on games sites with ads on them. They’re not always easy to find though! I made a list of some of the best, mostly ad free, games sites on my blog. Maybe you guys could do a list at some point of your favorite fun & safe sites for kids. =)
Thank you C. You will get a list of recommended sites coming soon. I would love to see your list too.
Great! Here’s a link to the post that I wrote a while back. There are some really great sites here! 🙂 http://www.biculturalmom.com/2011/01/17/best-free-safe-fun-and-educational-online-game-sites-for-infants-and-toddlers/
Outstanding topic.
As parents we need to take advantage of technology and teach our children the best way to use it or someone else will and that is not Ok.
So true. We need to guide them and prepare them for future jobs.
Great article. I’m usually a stickler about our eight-year-old son’s internet usage. During the school year, he get’s no screen-time M-Th and only an hour F-Sun. Since school let out last week, we’ve been a little more lax about it. I think that the use of a timer is a great idea, as is the monitoring software. Do you have any you could recommend?
Hi E, I know summer is a challenge to keep them busy.
We need an article recommending software coming soon.
Good advice, at home we only let our son on the computer or Wii on the weekends during the school year. We also use software to filter out “unwanted” websites, which is very important to me.
The timer is a great idea! I’m going to implement that ASAP! Our son knows on school nights no computer, but on the weekends he gets carried away and we are lax! Great article!