Helping Children Navigate a More Digital World
Is anyone else becoming increasingly nervous about having kids in this day and age? Two weeks ago, I went to dinner with my 5, 7, and 16-year-old cousins two weeks ago. While at dinner, the only time they were not on their iPhones was during the final 10 minutes when they were enjoying their dessert. Tech is the future and children should know how to use it, but how do parents go about keeping them safe? I believe the benefits of allowing children to use the internet in moderation outweigh the concerns many of us have about the internet.
Sonia Linvingstone, Professor of Social Psychology at LSE said Instead of worrying about how long children spend online, Global Kids Online research suggests that parents should engage positively with their children’s digital world and discuss with them the specific content and contact risks they may encounter so that children can gain resilience and thrive.”
The internet provides us with unprecedented levels of access to information and current events. Rather than preventing children from using something that is vital to their future success, they should be taught how to navigate the internet responsibly.
Technology companies and parents play a key role when it comes to the protection of children. Tech companies need to provide tools for parents to help them monitor content. Schools and parents should take time to teach children about the dangers of the internet and how to safely navigate the web.
Daniel Kardefelt-Winther, research lead on Children & Digital Technology at UNICEF Innocenti stated that Children need to spend time online to learn how to navigate the digital environment, even if this means being exposed to some level of risk. This is how children learn to navigate the offline world, so why would online be different?
In today’s society, being able to use the internet is vital for the future of children and can also teach them social skills. Research from Iowa University found that pro-social games can encourage tolerance and help inspire better behavior. Pro-social video games can help reduce aggressive cognitions and encourage children to protect their friends.
Although there are many benefits, internet usage, and social media can bring about many problems such as a false sense of reality, false beauty standards for both genders, and potentially heightened levels of bullying along with a lack of escape from said bullying due to the non-stop, 24/7 cycle of social media. Children will have a difficult time fact-checking information.
The internet is here to stay. Allowing children to use social media comes with many pros and cons. Parents and teachers must stay vigilant and commit themselves to watch over the child’s use of the internet. As long as we educate our children, guide them, and set restrictions on their internet usage, there is no need to keep them from using something that is only going to become more prevalent in their futures.
