7 Tips on How to Protect Your Kids from Cyberbullying ...

One of the biggest problems today is that children gain access to the Internet way before they are ready. Most of them are not prepared for the amount of information displayed to them, especially when it is not censored. They discover things way too prematurely; therefore we need to make sure that they stray away from those things until they are ready. So if you have been thinking how to protect your kids from cyberbullying, keeping them away from the cyber space would be the first step.

Sometimes when children are in trouble, they tend to close off and remain quiet on what is bothering them, however they still display signals of distress even when they don’t want to. Paying attention to their moodiness or withdrawal from family and friends should serve you as a warning sign that something is not right. It is important that you pay attention to these unintended cries for help.

It is typical of your child to want to become active online and join his or her friends, but before you give them the go ahead, you have to educate them about the dangers of cyberspace. You have to make sure that they know that there are predators online, there is false information and there are scammers. Let them know that they have to keep their personal information private and that includes their password, address, and anything else.

Once they gain access to the Internet and join social media, it is important to still monitor them from time to time. That doesn’t mean that you have to peer over their shoulder every time they are online, but you should check out their pages periodically and make sure there are no traces of cyberbullying. One of the things you can do as a parent is place your computer in the living room, so that they are not exploring the Internet in secret.

If your child casually mentions an incident of cyber bullying or any other dangerous online activity, make sure you take time to listen to them. Instead of squeezing out information, make them feel comfortable telling you about their feelings, so that both of you can work together to solve the problem.

There really isn’t a reason why children should remain on social media for an extended period of time especially at a young age. Using the Internet is a privilege that they get to have, but it is not their right. You have the power to limit their exposure to online dangers by setting rules for computer use. They don’t have to be harsh and intolerable but children should have some rules to obey.

As reinforcement to your monitoring, you can actually set up safety features on your computer to prevent unwanted information from popping up. There are different ways to turn those safety features on depending on the computer you own but each and every one of them is sure to have them.

The Internet is a beautiful place of information and resources but it is also very dangerous. Children can often get themselves into trouble when not monitored, which is why parents should protect them. What are some of your tips on protecting children from cyber bullying?