A Complete Guide to Digital Parenting – An Advanced Approach to Parenting
Accept it or not, we all are dependent on digital devices. Though it may be a work laptop or your phone, our lives revolve around gadgets.
Raising kids is difficult in modern society, especially for working parents. Considering the parenting challenges and the advent of technology, the experts have devised an approach called digital parenting.
Knowing how smart devices can help parents raise their children in a safe online world is a significant relief.
This article will discuss how parents can use digital devices in parenting and how technology can help them safeguard their little ones.
Let’s get started.
What is Digital Parenting?
Digital parenting involves the efforts and practices made by parents to supervise their child’s online presence on any digital platform. Kids start using digital devices early in their junior age. Children use smart devices for gaming and watching movies. Advanced technology has made every piece of information visible, just a query away. Thus, digital parenting is essential to safeguard children from exposure to unethical practices in the digital world.
Need for Effective Digital Parenting
As technology has advanced and children’s access to digital gadgets has become prominent, the importance of online parenting has become more crucial than ever before. Parents face numerous threats and challenges regarding their children’s safety in the digital era.
Your child may encounter cyberbullying, befriend a predator, or accidentally watch explicit content. Anything can happen in a parent’s absence.
Dealing with cyber threats requires a set of techniques to manage and ensure a kid’s online presence effectively.
7 Steps to Good Digital Parenting – A Comprehensive Guide
Parenting is hard, and we can understand how challenging raising teenagers is in today’s digital world. Here, we have discussed 7 most effective measures to ensure good digital parenting. If you are worried about managing your child’s screen time or digital exposure, the following tips are for you.
Step 1. Educate Yourself
Before diving into your child’s online space, educate yourself about what is good or bad in the online world. Your kids may use dangerous mobile apps which you may not know. Or perhaps they are in an online relationship with a predator?
Don’t worry, you can save them.
First, gain knowledge about the apps and games they are involved in and explore the content they explore. This understanding empowers you to guide him on how to use a platform responsibly.
Step 2. Talk to Them
Establish calm and open communication with your child. Discuss with them the effects of excessive screen usage. Create an environment where they can easily share their thoughts and ensure they receive your advice positively.
Communicating with your child will eliminate the hesitation and strengthen your bond with your child. When your child considers you a friend, they share everything with you.
Step 3. Get Parental Controls
The idea of digital parenting is to monitor the online space of children, and parental controls help you better supervise your children from a distance.
Use parental control to make your kids realize you are actively monitoring their online presence. Set time limitations and restrictions on every device. Regularly check and recheck the privacy settings, and keep yourself informed about their routine and activities.
Step 4. Set Ground Rules
Kids either bully or get bullied online. You don’t know if your child is a villain or hero in the online space. To make sure your child behaves appropriately online, set some ground rules.
Set clear rules about online behavior and discuss the consequences of neglecting these rules. If your child ignores any rule, take leverage away.
Step 5. Know Their Friends
Teens are more private beings who do not like talking about their friends. Perhaps their friends have their secrets or don’t want parental nagging.
However, parents must monitor their child’s social presence to ensure their friend circle is good. It’s all about being alert, not about invading their privacy. Respect their online space and freedom.
Step 6. Explore Their Social Media
Join your child on social media platforms to show support and encouragement among their friends. Being a supportive presence enhances their confidence, knowing you are backing them. It also leads them to adopt healthy online habits.
Make sure you are not spamming each of their posts with comments. You can track web browsing history remotely and make sure, monitor them from a distance and respect their online privacy.
Step 7. Be Their Role Model
Avoid using phones in front of your kids because when they notice you are glued to their phones, the same habit will be developed among them. So it is better to teach morals while being the best example yourself.
Be a positive role model by demonstrating cyber etiquette. Showcase good social media practices, and let your child follow your lead. Your actions will speak louder than words.
BONUS – NexaSpy is Your Ultimate Partner for Digital Parenting!
Digital parenting is all about making sure your child is using online space safely. Monitoring kids’ phones is the best way to advance your digital parenting journey. NexaSpy is a fully-loaded app that allows you to monitor your child’s cyber activities remotely. Moreover, with its robust parental control features parents can block certain online actions and restrict improper installed apps from their kids’ phones.
The Final Words
Adolescents are increasingly exposed to the excessive usage of digital gadgets, impacting their lives. However, before they reach an age where they can make informed decisions, parents are responsible for guiding their paths. This guidance is essential to ensure they stay on the right path. With proper attention, they may engage in harmful activities.
To effectively minimize children’s engagement with digital platforms, it is necessary to steer them in the right direction. While this may pose challenges, considering their future, restricting their exposure to potentially harmful activities is imperative. Addiction to these platforms not only jeopardizes their health but can also have long-term consequences for their careers. Parents must take a keen interest in addressing these issues through digital parenting.
