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Teaching Kids About Internet Safety
Learning with Expert – The Infinity school.
Internet Safety Tips for Kids
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Internet Safety Tips
Wondering why is cyber safety an important measure in times of online learning? Read on to know the answer and find some useful internet safety tips to keep kids safe online…
Does your child spend a greater part of his/her day attending online classes, surfing the internet, coding, playing video games, or doing online research? While technological advancements have made it easier for children to experience the wonders of the world within their home, kids are equally vulnerable, which is why cyber safety experts believe our children need to learn about internet safety more than ever.
Thank you, The Infinity school!
Why Teach Kids About Internet Safety?
Unbeknownst to the basics of cyber safety, kids frequently share photos & videos of their daily activities on their parent’s social media profiles, which gives way to identity thefts.
Tweens make friends with random strangers who could be cyber criminals or child abusers disguised as trustworthy friends. Teenagers may lose money through online shopping on fraud websites.
Internet safety isn’t just limited to preventing financial loss or lack of privacy. Students run online school groups & pages where they’re an easy target to cyberbullies.
Cyberbullying may cause long-lasting psychological trauma when bullies spread rumours, post mean comments, threaten, blackmail, or worse, create fake accounts to damage a child’s online reputation.
Our children can fall prey to any of these when they aren’t acquainted with the basics of cyber safety. If we think it’s too early for our toddlers or pre-schoolers to learn about internet safety, then we could be mistaken. Last year’s IAMAI Report estimated that around 15% or 66 million of the total internet users in India are children between 5 to 11 years (Source: Bloomberg Quint). The numbers have escalated during the lockdown, as schools are gradually moving to online learning platforms for delivering education at home in the pandemic. Forbidding internet usage is no longer an option when kids can easily find a way around firewalls, online privacy settings, or internet safety apps.
Rather than blocking seemingly bad websites and less useful content, introducing the basics of cyber safety, potential online risks, and modelling how to stay safe on the internet are some better ways of dealing with cybercrimes.
When & How To Explain Internet Safety To Children?
There is no defined ‘age limit’ for students to learn about internet safety & good cyber hygiene. Learning & practising online ethics and good internet practices not just keeps kids safe from cybercriminals & bullies, but also diminishes their chances of turning into one in the long run.
While setting up filters to block bad websites and cookies, having firewalls & antiviruses to restrict hacking attempts, and disabling online cams are good tricks, here are some cyber safety tips that can come in handy.
- Child psychologist Dr. Bhavna Barmi believes it is essential to have open conversations about online risks with children. Ask kids about their online experiences, share yours & suggest ways to improve theirs. Help them figure out what content they should be sharing on social media.
- Be a role model for positive electronic use. Set up technology-free zones in your house & make it a point to spend quality time with family before bedtime. Remember to unplug all devices at least half an hour before going off to sleep.
- Show kids how to tweak their online privacy settings so their posts and photos are only visible to their friend list. Helping them choose what websites, online games or social networks they could join is an easy way to keep kids safe on the internet.
- Advise them to be cautious of befriending strangers. Tell them about the risks they could expose themselves to and let them spot red flags.
- According to cyber safety expert Mr. Rakshit Tandon, users should follow the golden rule of internet safety- STP (Stop. Think. Publish) before posting any content. Also, any kind of non-educational, recreational screen time (spent on chatting, gaming, social networking) for children below 15 years should not exceed above 1 hour and should be monitored by the adults.
- Cyberbullies can cause great emotional trauma if the victims don’t open up at an early stage. Parents can seek help from teachers, counsellors, or any family member (who is close to the child) and invite them to talk on this topic. Don’t forget to report bullies to online platforms & let their parents know. Alternatively, introducing kids to internet ethics or user guidelines & helping them be mindful of their approach can prevent them from becoming a bully.
- Let kids know that they shouldn’t share their passwords, financial information, ID proofs, or personal information on any of the websites. Child identity theft can go unchecked for years and can end up ruining your child’s credit score when they grow up. It’s equally important that they learn to refrain from connecting their devices to any free wi-fi available at public places.
- We can ensure online safety of our children only if we are well-informed on cyber safety. Seeking advice from a cyber safety expert or a reliable source is a good way to ensure internet safety. Moreover, we should attempt to generate awareness around us & ensure that kids are involved in creative offline activities to prevent them from getting addicted to the screen. It would definitely help.
The Infinity School, a co-ed school in Noida Extension recently conducted a webinar on the importance of cyber safety and mental well-being in children in times of online learning where child psychologist Dr. Bhavna Barmi and cyber safety expert Mr. Rakshit Tandon gave some great internet safety tips for kids and parents. Visit the school’s website (https://www.theinfinityschool.org/) to see video clippings of the webinar & for updates on other upcoming webinars.
Internet Safety Tips
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Internet Safety Tips
Reference: The Infinity school ( The Infinity School: Creating future-ready thought leaders! ) – “How To Keep Kids Safe Online” originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.
