The internet has no doubt, revolutionized our lives with its numerous advantages but at the same time it also makes kids the victim of various threats. Parents are hardly aware of the online activities of their kids. However, it is highly essential for parents to supervise their kids and keep a watch on their activities when they are online. Children often become victims of cyber bullying and they don’t disclose such issues to their parents in the fear that their parents won’t allow them to use internet again.
The ideal way to prevent your kid from becoming the victim of cyber bullying is to take active interest in the real and virtual life of your kid. Encourage your child to talk to you about their online life. Try to figure out the things that they love about the internet. You should also apprise them about webcam abuse. Such conversations will motivate them to turn to you if any online problem crops up. At the same time, teach your child how to protect their privacy online. Here are few ways of protecting one’s privacy when interacting with strangers online—
1. Do not open any email sent by strangers.
2. Do not share pictures with strangers.
3. Refrain from responding to obscene or suspicious messages.
4. Refrain from revealing one’s real identity online.
5. Stay away from strangers who constantly ask you to meet them in person.
If your child reveals that he/ she is being blackmailed—
1. You should behave in a calm and composed manner, rather than losing your cool.
2. Believe what your child says and listen to their words carefully.
3. Many parents end up blaming their children which is a wrong thing to do. Even if you think your child was involved in risky behavior, do not blame them.
4. Take some safety measures rather than forbidding them from using the internet immediately.
There are many software available in the market that helps you in supervising your kids when they are online. One such software is OnlineFamily.Norton. This software, once installed in your child’s PC, the duration of internet hours accessed per month, the websites that have been visited, the online searches that have been made and much more can be set from your own PC and you can also monitor your child’s online activities quite easily. Symantec too has come up with a unique program that can help you keep your child safe when they are online. It also helps parents to keep an eye on what their children are doing when they are surfing the internet.
Authored by mdsonline.co.in
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