Kids are by far the most important part of our lives. Our love for them knows no bounds which then leads us to act in certain ways which would hurt our kids in the long run or ruin our relationship with them. When it comes to our kids’ safety, as parents we tend to take certain steps that are not ethical to most people, but we justify our actions by saying that “as parents, we can do it”. But this is hardly the case. Indeed they are our kids and for a certain portion of their lives, we have to take care and protect them. But cajoling them and snooping around their things and interests too much can prove harmful for their personality as well. Therefore, we have devised a minimum snooping plan especially to keep the parental psychosis at bay.
Where they go
Knowing about your kid’s physical location is one thing, but as a parent, you should know where your kid goes online too. What social media sites he or she is active on and what kind of things he or she likes to search and go through. Be on the lookout for any inappropriate content or comments such as those by bullies or stalkers. Also, make sure your kid is not sharing any inappropriate pictures or too much personal information on these sites.
Who they meet
There is definitely some weight-age in the statement “you are known by the company you keep”. Especially when it comes to kids, the people they hang out with can have a phenomenal effect on their personality development. Monitoring your kids’ cell phone and computer feed enough to know what they are talking about generally and who they are talking to about it. Any new names should be looked into and don’t be afraid to openly talk to your kid about any red flags if you come across any.
Assess and review profile settings
Make sure your kid is following the privacy ground rules that have been set in place for them from the very beginning especially in relation to the internet and social networking sites. Every kid at some point in their life would want to try out something roguish, and although it can be a learning experience, as parents we should make sure this learning experience doesn’t turn into a permanent nightmare. Skimming through your kid’s privacy settings can help keep your kid safe from online predators, identity theft, and many other issues. Kids want to add new people to increase their follower count, but make sure this doesn’t get out of hand.
Enforce password protection
One of the things that kids growing up enjoy doing is sharing passwords with their friends. We occasionally come across different peers posting stuff from their friends’ accounts. Kids in relationships like to go over their partners’ accounts and messages as well. Friend or not, this sharing of passwords is a dangerous practice that must be strongly stopped. The best way to tackle this issue is by being honest with your kid about the cons of it. Make sure they understand the privacy and drama issues that come with such a practice.
Location settings reviewed
Location settings on social networking sites should always be turned off. Make sure your kid understands that pictures and statuses posted with location settings are open to other communities beyond their friend’s list. Location sharing not only puts your kid in danger but other family members are also at an increased risk. If there are multiple location tags on your profile, stalkers and criminals can easily make out a pattern which puts everyone at risk. There have been multiple abductions based on ransom cases especially revolving around children.
Conclusion
While maintaining and respecting your kid’s privacy is important for their healthy upbringing especially when it comes to developing a healthy and confident personality, there is obviously some kind of monitoring that should always be permissible. There is no harm in keeping an eye out on your kid especially if it is being done in a timely and controlled method. Some parents tend to go overboard in protecting their kid which makes it difficult for children to trust their parents hence disturbing their relationship with their loved ones. One of the basic rules in parenting is the forming of a formal bond and relationship based on trust which will automatically ward off a lot of dangers on its own.
