3 Tips to Keep Your Child Safer Online, Right Now

Soon your child will be asking to go online. It’s inevitable. The new average age for a kid getting their first cell phone is now age 10. Not giving them a cell phone or keeping them isolated is not the answer unfortunately.  

Most parents are already overwhelmed. They’re overworked and to be playing catch-up with the newest and latest tech or popular social platforms is something that is just not viable for most parents. 

Here are three tips to keep your child safer online right now: 

Number 1: Don’t spy on them. Set good boundaries. This will help them more than you can think. 

Number 2: Go one step further and create a written agreement with your little one. Doesn’t matter what age but make sure it’s age appropriate. Put it on the fridge so everyone in the house knows what the agreement is. 

Things to include might be: 

-When they can use their devices

-Where they must be using their devices 

-Possible consequences for failure to keep the agreement.

Get creative with the agreement and cover all your bases. 

Number 3, most importantly, is to keep an open line of communication with your child. If they do something wrong or break their phone usage agreement, don’t get mad. They need to trust you. They need to be able to come to you anytime there’s something online that is upsetting or hurtful. They need to be able to trust you if an adult online asks them for a naughty image or someone is bullying them.