Preparing Your Children for Social Media, Here's How

As parents, we all know that we want to prepare our kids for social media. Social media activity is especially at risk due to online crimes targeting children, such as cyberbullying, safety threats, pedophile cases, and other scams or crimes. And although social media has its negative side, social media could also empower your children. 

Social media can be used as their educational tool, especially during this pandemic. Other than that, social media brought their friends and families connected all the time. But as always, parents don't want anything but the safety of their kids. 

Social media encourages kids and adults to rant their opinions online, which sometimes takes them to harmful consequences. Even adults end up being bashed and thrown with different painful words that may hurt them mentally. Kids end up being hurt. Parents for sure don't want this to happen in any of their kids. 

As many people are expected to visit your kids' social media accounts, there are ways parents can help their kids to be prepared in the chaos of social media. Make your kids more responsible in handling online platforms with the tips below.

READ: 7 Benefits Kids Can Get From Social Networking

Prepare your kids for social media

You must explain the good and bad sides of social media, so they are aware once they go online.

Good Side of Social Media

• Keeps your kids always connected to your family and friends
• It gets them involved with pages for charity and other helping organizations
• Can effectively enhance their art skills and help them interact with people who have the same interest 
• Communication with fellow students and school administrators is accessible

Bad Sad of Social Media

• Photos and information are posted online and can be used for scams or fraudulent schemes
• Makes sensitive information, like home and school address, visible to criminals
• They could be contacted by someone they don't know as some children are vulnerable to false identification

Talk About Social Media

Before you let your kids have social media accounts:

• Talk to them first
• Give them rules, set the age, number of people, and the kind of people with whom they should interact
• Discuss words they are allowed to post or not in their accounts

Also, have them talk to their friends or classmates who are posting or ranting nasty social media comments

ALSO READ: Social Media Etiquette for Kids -- The Unwritten Rules

Monitoring Apps

For you to enable preparedness for your kids, you must also be prepared with these platforms. Keep yourself knowledgeable about the apps they are using. If necessary, be informed about how to use blocking apps in case there is suspicious activity around your child's accounts, and block them immediately. 

Use Privacy Settings

Together with your kids, explore privacy settings on their accounts. While going through it is essential that you keep your kids following you and understand the importance of privacy. Also, keep reminding them to keep their accounts information such as passwords and not share it with anybody. 

READ MORE: What Pros and Cons Does Social Media Have for Your Children?