Today children find the use of the Internet effortless and they are light years ahead of most adults in the use of the computer, Internet and the sites available therein. The scope and anonymity of content, of the internet makes the involvement of parents very relevant.
Parenting is a full time job that is paid for mostly by the way the offsprings turn out. it is no doubt an arduous task, but can be rewarding.
As a parent myself i get intimidated when i have to turn to my children when i seek information. The volume of what they know is huge and require moderation.
They route around with the use of this technology like it's second nature. Believe it or not, it brings to the fore the need to cover some gap as a parent. This challenge is overcome by simply seeking more information to becoming cyber-smart yourself.
Guidance in the maximisation of the use of the internet and minimising of the risks should be made priority. Let it sink that the internet is primarily a tool that can be tuned and managed to fit your preferences.
Get involved,as parents, in the internet activities of your children at home especially, because more time is spent at home. Researches in Canada for instance, have shown that about 94% of children go online at home.
That time with them is part of the quality time required in their formative years to give solid foundation upon which their own individual traits, attitudes, habits and preferences are built.
What would be referred to as history in the future is made today.
It is noteworthy that, many have wrecked their future with entries made on their social media pages early in their lives.
Stress the moral and criminal implication of plagiarism, which is a major temptation to children when they use the internet for their school work.
The internet is a no man's land, therefore caution on the its free use for children must be emphasised.
We all use the internet to either work or play irrespective of our age. Many of the sites we use request for our personal information, but as adults who are cybersmart, limitation are made to how much information to give.
Train your wards on how and where to seek information. Emphasise the the use of dependable sources. Our kids may not know, therefore, they should be trained to approach the internet critically. Make them ask questions about information , for instance;
who wrote the information,
when it was written,
what is the relevance of the content, etc
Time also should not be wasted on the internet in terms of excessive use for play to avoid addiction. Further, idle surfing allows exposure to hateful content, pornography, gaming to metion a few which are avoidable where disciple is in place.
