Digital Literacy 101: Teaching our Kids Safe and Responsible Internet Usage

We live in a new kind of world now – a world where the computer and the Internet have become a huge part of our lives. The younger generation of today has no recollection of a time when snail mail and phone calls were the main forms of communication and researching for information meant going to the library to look through stacks of encyclopedias and books. In this digital age, children expect the Internet to provide them with any information they need and depend heavily on it for communication as well.

As the number of kids exposed to the online world at an early stage of their lives continues to grow, we parents find ourselves presented with the dilemma of how to prevent our children from becoming exposed to the dark side of the online world. Rather than fight it, we should encourage our kids to explore and satiate their curiosity for the Internet, while constantly guiding and monitoring their activities and behavior online.   

Computers – and increasingly, tablets and smart phones, too – are good learning tools just like traditional early childhood activities and materials like building blocks, books, writing materials and dramatic play, but we need to examine the impact of technology on our children and make sure that they use it correctly for their own development of literacy, cognitive, and social skills.

How can we do that without overstepping our boundaries? Here are a few ways to manage your children’s use of the Internet:

• Parental supervision is still advised.
Just like how we would want age-appropriate books and magazines to be in the hands of our children, there is also a need for us to monitor what they are doing and viewing online.

• Involve your children in setting up rules.
Not only does this make them feel like they are part of the process but they are also more likely to follow the rules. Discuss and make rules with your children about when and how long they can be online and what sites are appropriate for them to visit. You may find that you end up learning a lot from your child as well.

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• Keep the computer accessible to everyone.
Placing the computer in an area where other family members are usually present promotes interaction and ensures that, should your child have any questions about something they’ve seen online, someone will be there to assist them.

• Be honest about online dangers.
While it may be tempting to shield our children from the dangers that lurk behind the Internet, it’s also a surefire way of making them vulnerable to it. Educating them about the possibility of online threats (viruses, cybercriminals, cyberbullies) will hopefully make them think twice before clicking an unknown link or allowing a stranger into their social network.

• Enlist the help of parenting tools.
There are a number of tools that parents can use to monitor their children’s online activity. Norton Online Family, for example, tells parents what sites their children visit, what they search for, who they chat with, and what social networking sites they spend time at without having to open a web browser. This free tool also allows you to change settings and turn features on/off anytime, anywhere, because it is accessible on Android, iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad™ devices. You’ll get to know your kids better and gain a deeper understanding of their online interests, so you can protect and guide them.

Norton also extends parents’ capability to stay informed about their kids’ online activities in Android devices through the latest Norton Safety Minder: Mobile Edition. Through the new app, parents can avail of several tools to teach kids safe and age-appropriate digital habits on their mobile devices. The application provides web monitoring and blocking features for free, allowing parents to see what sites their kids are visiting and block content they feel is inappropriate.  Applied through your Norton Online Family account, you can use the same set of web filtering settings for your child’s PC and apply them to your child’s Android phone.  

Technology doesn’t have to work against us, it can work with us. For more tips on how to keep your kids and yourself safe online, visit www.norton.com/familyresouces.  

Effendy Ibrahim, is the Norton Internet Safety Advocate and Director – Asia for Symantec

Photo from http://kids.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Computer_Learning_Software_for_Kids