We are all about home and family security here at Safe and Vault Store and as the world becomes more technologically advanced, these safety concerns are migrating to the web. We’ve talked a bit about online security in terms of identity theft but now we’re focusing on teaching your young children about social media security. Today children use the web for just about everything from chatting, playing games, studying and researching, blogging, or Facebooking. It is important as a parent that you are clear with your kids what is and is not proper behavior online—sending a clear message, having clear boundaries, and knowing right from wrong will go a long way in preventing problems. The folks at Microsoft have put together some points for talking to kids about social media security and we want to share that here with you.
Communicate with your children about their experiences.
Encourage your children to tell you if something they encounter on one of these sites makes them feel anxious, uncomfortable or threatened. Stay calm and remind your kids they are not in trouble for bringing something to your attention. Let them know you will work with them to help resolve the situation for a positive outcome.
Set your own house Internet rules.
As soon as your children begin to use the Internet on their own, it is a good idea to come up with a list of rules for using the Internet that everyone can agree on. These rules should include whether your children can use social websites and how they can use them. For more information on setting rules, see Using family contracts to help protect your kids online.
Ensure your kids follow age limits on the site.
The recommended age for signing up for social websites is usually 13 and over. If your children are under the recommended age for these sites, do not let them use the sites. It is important to remember that you cannot rely on the services themselves to keep your underage child from signing up.
Educate yourself about the site.
Evaluate the sites that your child plans to use and make sure both you and your child understand the privacy policy and the code of conduct. Find out if the site monitors content that people post. Also, review your child's page periodically. To read more, be sure to check out this website.
