Nowadays, there is a large number of online dangers and scams. However, people use the Internet for basically anything- from education and self-improvement to friendships and dating. Children have a tendency to make new acquaintances online. Parents on the other hand, always have their doubts about these online friendships simply because they have a completely different idea of what socializing really is. In the past, children used to go out more often, and play fun games outside. Unfortunately, they now spend most of their time in front of the computer talking to strangers. It is only natural for parents to protect their kids anywhere, especially on the Internet. That is why they have to come up with different ideas on how to explain the dangers to their children and keep them safe.
Socializing has been taken to a new level these days. Parents have to understand their children might like the same things they did when they were young, but they like contemporary chatting and sharing as well. Even if they are feeling less comfortable with this new digital socializing, parents have to sustain a good connection with their children and try to understand this kind of culture. Perhaps, you might wonder whether these online relationships will escalate to real-life encounters. And you will probably question yourselves if you should really let your children meet with their online friend. Well, your first reaction will be like no way in hell, and you may start rambling about the many online dangers. But this is not right. It will be better if you try to express your interest in your child’s new friend and their relationship.
First of all, you should ask your children how exactly they met this friend, what they might have in common and why they want to meet. You’d better not ask your kids too many questions, because you are going to freak them out, and they will feel like they have done something wrong. Eventually, they will get defensive and mysterious, and you certainly do not need that. If your child wants to meet an online friend, you should express your interest and joy. You have to take it seriously and think of it as something good and exciting. Supposing your kid wants to meet their online fellow for the first time, it will be better to accompany them at least for the first meeting. According to most people, these kinds of encounters should take place in public. It is guaranteed you will feel more comfortable and safe if you ask to speak with the other parents so that you can discuss where and when your children can meet. And who knows, you might be skeptical at first, but actually find new friends as well.
Presumably, you are aware of the fact that your children’s lives are going to be full of strangers, and it is high time you change your perception. It is your responsibility to teach your children how to interact with strangers safely, and make the right judgments whether the person is sincere or not. Instead of forbidding your children to talk to strangers, you have to teach them how to check on the strangers and decide if they should meet at all. It will be great if you decide to thank them for coming to you instead of hiding and doing something behind your back. To be clear, parents need to be more open-minded even if they want to say no at first. Anyway, you are the parent and you decide whether you are going to let them meet or not. It does not matter what the decision is, you should take advantage of this opportunity and have a serious conversation about online safety with your children. You have to remember, the skills you teach the kids about meeting online friends are the same skills they are going to use for their real-life friends. They need to be well-prepared for college, job interviews, and the whole future stranger network.
Fortunately, there are some easy tips you can follow when it comes to online safety. You need to make sure you are there the moment your children decide to go online so that you can control what sites they visit or what kind of games they play. Children have to be taught to make their online decisions carefully, just like the ones they have to make in the real world. It is important to encourage your children to share more, and ask you if they are not sure or not comfortable about anything on the Internet. But the problem is your children will grow up and gain independence. They will refuse to share with you and won’t let you become directly involved in their online activities. If you do not want your children to hide their online activity, you should try to talk to them about the positive things about the Internet such as learning something, having fun or connecting with their real friends at any time. In fact, you might be able to reveal who your child is chatting with by using Nuwber. It is a people-search site, which can help you find people by name, address or phone and it works as a perfect background checker. So, if you are serious about this, do not hesitate to check Nuwber’s database.
Another essential thing you have to teach your children is to maximize their privacy settings, they should not be posting any personal information such as their address or phone number, because there are sick people out there and who knows what they might do. If you want to take precautions, you have to encourage the children to use really strong passwords and enter only well-known and respected websites. As a parent, you need to become more familiar with social media trends and the latest mobile apps, if you are willing to help your kids stay safe online. You just have to explain that you trust them, but you are only doing this because you have concerns about other people’s potential behavior.
Dangers are everywhere, but at least you can try to prevent your children from getting into trouble when they go online. The Internet can offer us enormous benefits, but it is full of dangerous people as well. Who is your child’s online friend? You may never find out unless you start paying more attention to your kids and explore their world.