Despite their widespread use and tonnes of benefits, using devices excessively can invite many perils. Every day we come across many instances of cyber scams. And this is high-time we start considering digital literacy skills as a must-follow-family safety-protocol.
Not only adults but kids also use their devices all day long. Social media and smartphones have affected childhood profoundly. As parents, we can’t stop this smartphone generation from using devices. But we can definitely create a home environment that promotes safe online behavior.
So, let’s see why digital literacy skills are important and how you can instill it in your kids.
Here Is How You Can Build Digital Literacy Skills In Kids
As we all know, kids are extremely active in their virtual lives. Digital literacy skills are inevitable to keep them safe.
Why Digital Literacy Skills Are Important?
With the increasing usage of devices, cyber scams also started growing. Moreover, the current home locked situation also contributes to the raised screen time. According to the child experts, the Coronavirus pandemic has increased hacking and other cyber scams massively.
Apart from that, these are the obvious reasons we must educate digital literacy tips to our kids.
- It educates a responsible online behavior that can save kids from any digital hazards.
- Digital literacy skills are inevitable to keep kids safe against online predators, bullies, pedophiles, and hackers.
- Moreover, it helps build a reputed online life with a safe and decent virtual image of your child.
- Also, it can save your kids from the mental and emotional trauma that one can go through if he becomes a victim of a digital scam.
- Digital literacy activities are a confidence booster. When you educate it to your child, he can take advantage of the Internet without getting stuck to the dark corners of the technology.
How Parental Control Apps Can Help?
A smart parental control app, such as Bit Guardian Parental Control, acts as a kids’ digital guardian. At times, you can instill online literacy skills in younger kids, but taming teens need strict disciplinary measure.
With this kids’ safety app, parents can protect kid’s digital lives 24/7. Here are a few benefits of it.
- Take control of your kids’ virtual life. This app helps to monitor, restrict, and safeguard kid’s lives online.
- Certainly, excessive screen time is one of the major causes of Internet scams. With this app, parents can limit a kid’s screen life and in a way can help him educate safe and restricted online behavior.
- It only allows child-friendly apps so your kids can learn what type of content they should access.
- Frequent reports of child’s online activities will help you know which area of kids’ virtual life requires digital literacy.
- Screen Time Control Features
- Location Tracking And Geo-Fencing
- App Block And App Install Block
- Panic Alert and SOS Button
- Anti-Theft Feature
How Can You Develop Digital Literacy Skills In Your Kids?
Sharp digital skills help kids to recognize online frauds, deceptive content and he can form insights, and opinions independently. Here are the easy ways to develop kids’ digital literacy.
Educate Healthy Online Habits
Parents should make kids intelligent enough so that they can differentiate between genuine and fake profiles. For that, you need to educate a few healthy digital habits to your kids.
- Let your kids know that any stranger is a danger. Kids must avoid talking, texting to them.
- Additionally, train your children to unfollow all the doubtful pages and profiles. It is a basic safety rule that guards them against many probable scams.
Kids Should Know The Benefits Of A Strong Password
The password is the security key to all online activities. The first lesson of digital literacy is to make kids understand the importance of a strong password.
- As we know, a strong and difficult to forget password is the primary step of online safety. Kids should know that their password has to be a mixture of numbers, upper and lower case, special characters, and letters.
- Tell them to avoid using the same or identical passwords on various platforms. They should never share it with anyone. Let them know that they can ensure digital safety by frequently changing their passwords.
Educate Privacy Settings Of Frequently Used Platforms
The major source of kids’ entertainment is social media these days. You must help him understand the privacy settings of these platforms.
- Encouraging kids to put all their social media accounts on a quick review might be the most significant step towards making them learn the settings of these platforms.
- Apart from that, Privacy Policy, the Settings of these sites(who can see comments on kids posts, their location details) are a few segments that you should assess with kids.
Be Your Kids’ Digital Buddy
Share your kids’ virtual life by being active on various online platforms. Set digital literacy examples that you want your child to follow.
- Play his preferred video games online, follow his social media accounts, surf some fun websites together.
- Meanwhile, educate not to click on shady links, make them aware of third-party platforms, train them on what kind of stuff they can post online.
Conclusion
As a parent, your influence matters. Look out for real-life digital literacy examples to share it with kids. Make their digital skills sharp enough that they can act web-wise even when you are not monitoring. Celebrate the wins you see your kids achieving online.
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