This article contains how to protect and monitor kids or teens on social media. Well, as you know social media is a wide platform and parents are scared to let their teenagers become so committed to it. It has been observed that over 80% of teens use social media.
However, It has lots of risks that affect children greatly, both physically, emotionally, and mentally. We have cyberbullying, online predators, and inappropriate content. It is important as a parent to stay connected to your children in other to build a healthy relationship.
The problems following online social platforms go far beyond cyberbullying, which is why, as parents, you can try banning internet-connected devices from your children’s lives or you could give them a guide on how to have a healthy and protected relationship with social media.
Ways To Protect Kids And Teens On Social Media
Know The kind Of Friends Your Teens Talk To
As parents, you should have access to your kid’s social media pages to know what kind of friends they usually have. Social media has been so advanced that you can make friends with people around the world, but as a responsible parent, you should know the people your child is associated with to avoid cyberbullying and online predators.
Keep Track Of The kinds Of Images Your Kids Post On Their Social Media Accounts.
Monitoring your kids’ images online is very important. You don’t know when things might go wrong, so they could sometimes release their feelings through the images they post, and by doing so, they attract some prying eyes that mean harm. As parents, always stay connected to your kids.
Parents Being a Part of Social Media
Most parents find social media distracting, so they choose not to be a part of it, but as the case may seem, parents are supposed to be on whatever social media their kids are on to be able to watch carefully to avoid any kind of danger.
Educating Our Kids About The Dangers Of Social Media
It is better to educate your kids on the danger that comes with social media and make them understand what they might encounter if they chose to be on any social media platform.
Get To Know The Technology
So, as we all know, technology is improving every day, and we all know that kids are quick to understand some of these new gadgets faster than parents.
Therefore, as a parent, one of the things you should be attentive to is how to gain knowledge of this new technology so it can be possible to watch over your kids.
Use Parental Control Apps And Software
Social media is also very helpful; you can find applications to help monitor the child’s social media remotely.
Using a parental control app serves as a way for you to control, manage, monitor, and also protect kids’ mobile devices. We have apps like Kids Guard Pro for Android and Kids Guard Pro for iOS that help you manage, control, and monitor your kid’s social lives. They also help you share their location.
Dangers That Follow the Use of Social Media
Some people are aware of the danger that social media can bring to our teens. With a few words, I will be explaining some of the dangers that social media can expose your kids to:
Adult Content
Social media is also filled with adult activity, so not all content is kid-friendly. Some pictures and videos posted on the internet can damage your child’s psychology and put them in a state of confusion.
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is rampant on the internet, and your kid can also be a target if not watched carefully. Cyberbullying has caused teens to have negative emotional responses to the way they see things; some tend to generate low self-esteem, loneliness, self-isolation, and less interest in school.
One of the causes of kids nowadays having suicidal thoughts could come from the effects of cyberbullying, which leads to mental health issues.
Online Predator
As we all know, not everyone on social media comes with a good mindset; there are adults out there who love to linger around kids.
They appear on teens’ social media pages acting all friendly, then they start by sending disturbing messages that are not right for kids. Others may ask the kids to send sensitive photos, so this is why, as parents, we need to know whom our teens and kids communicate with online.
Child Identity Theft
Some kids are unaware that by sending in sensitive information online, scammers can use that information to steal their identity and cause chaos with it, through fraudulent activity, taking loans and credit cards, and other scams.
Viruses in the Message
One of the best ways any hacker could get access to a child’s device is by sending them a private message with any link to a game or video; some unaware kids could click on it, giving the hackers access to your bank account or other information.
Emotional Distress and Unhealthy Relationships with Social Media
Teens that linger long while using social media tend to start feeling emotional distress if their real life is not going as well as they planned. Others get jealous while seeing other people; for example, a friend on social media could be prettier than me, so teens usually start feeling jealous of others, which causes changes in the way they release their emotions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can A Mother Know When Her Child Is Passing Through A Phase?
It is quite easy; you would see the change in personality; they talk differently; nobody knows your child better than you, so getting to see the difference in the way you act as a mother and approach them and talk things out
What Can I Do If My Child Has Been Traumatized By Cyberbullying?
Take the child to a therapist, and not just leave them in the hands of a therapist; the family needs to show support; they should make the child feel like everything is okay to give her a positive impact.
Which App Gives Me Access To My Kid’s Phones?
We have apps like KidsGuard Pro for Android and KidsGuard Pro for iOS. These apps help you have control over your child’s social life, and you could even find their location using the app.
What Are The Dangers Of Social Media?
We have dangers like cyberbullying, online predators, adult content, and child identity theft.
With this information, you should be able to protect your teens and kids from the dangers of social media, and for any other questions, you can drop them in the comment section.
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