How long since you checked your phone for messages, WhatsApp, emails, or …. anything?
If not for work, then scrolling through social media?
2 minutes? 1 minute? 30 seconds?
It’s the new plague spreading faster than any epidemic in history, and it has the power to cause more irretrievable damage than anything we know.
You’re online 24/7, even in your sleep with your smart watch records your sleep details.
This addiction to the gadgets has no restriction of age, sex, class, colour.
And it got accelerated during the pandemic when the world went online.
Children discovered a whole new world with unrestricted access to the Internet.
And sadly, the parents found a convenient way to keep children occupied.
But like every aspect of life, it has a good and a dark side.
You know all about the good – greater connections, more resources, increased exposure, better opportunities, etc, etc.
But what about the dark side?
Have you understood the impact of the digital footprint well enough to educate the children?
Understanding Digital Footprints
You’re no longer a global citizen; you’re a ‘digital’ citizen.
Doesn’t matter which corner of the globe you inhabit, you’re a click away.
Each action of yours online leaves a trail. The comments you leave, your posts, your digital community; each of them works together to create your online identity.
And this is what has to be explained to the children.
In their newly acquired toy (a smartphone with a good camera and a dozen apps), they feel both empowered and liberated.
Do they understand the magnitude of this? No.
“With great power comes great responsibility”.
Uncle Ben’s simple advice to young Peter Parker is so profound and appropriate.
One irresponsible post, one insensitive comment can snowball out of control.
Staying Safe Online.
The children will remain safe if the adults understand the gravity and explain it to them.
Instead of hiding behind excuses like “The kids know more about this stuff than us”, talk to them about –
- maintaining respectful behaviour
- saying no to cyber bullying
- recognising and avoiding online predators
- sharing personal information
- trolling and posting toxic comments
The list can go on.
Parents must insist on the schools regularly conducting workshops and counselling for students on such topics. After all, schools are equal partners in this process of keeping children safe and educated.
You’ve seen how the new age bullies online hide behind anonymity to spew toxic comments or troll.
There are cases of cyber bullying at schools that got pushed under the carpet or the schools choose to look the other way.
It may look like fun right now to the children indulging in this. But what they need to remember is what goes online, stays forever. What they say online has long term consequences.
It can impact their future prospects when they are applying for college admissions or for jobs.
You don’t want that happening to your children.
Action Needed From Parents.
It’s time for both parents and children to have the hard talk. Especially for the young children, its critical.
The birds and the bees can wait.
Don’t just hand them that smartphone or tablet or laptop.
Talk to them about the usage. Monitor their online activity with parental control apps.
Use control filters, child-friendly apps and safe search engines.
For the older children, talk to them about responsible online behaviour. Being online doesn’t mean they can indulge in bullying or trolling or being mean.
Discuss and have open conversations.
Set time limits for screen time. This is so essential for their health, both physical and mental. Help them find balance between their online-offline activities.
Show them how to evaluate the content they’re consuming, what’s fake or ‘scam’my.
In Short
There’s no getting away from it. You might as well accept this as the inevitable reality of the world we live in.
Being online is a given.
So let’s make the best use of it. Teach yourself and your children to make optimum use of this unlimited resources available to them in a productive and positive manner.
They’re part of the digital generation. Prepare them for it.
