Do we put photos of our children up online? Or not? Do we announce their birth online? Or not? Do we set up social media accounts for them so they have their name held for when they are older? Or not? What age is too early for them to be on social media? What about online bullying? What about online predators?
These are some of the questions parents are asking experts, each other, and even the internet!
Who do you trust online?
Thankfully there are a number of online resources we can turn to for information and guidance when it comes to being a cyber-parent.
Code 9 Parent
This is an Australian site offering advice and insight into the world of parenting, and being a child, online.
eSafety Commissioner
This is the Australian Government site offering advice for parents and guardians about online safety.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/online-safety-guide
eSmart
Run by the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, this site supports, schools, students, and parents with online safety.
Why do we worry about online safety with our kids?
Other than it being a real risk, no one has done this before. As parents, we are raising the first generation of “Digital Natives”. We are using how we were parented to guide what we do but in the most part, these paradigms just don’t apply.
In our lifetime, we have had to learn how to navigate the internet, learn how to be a digital citizen, and that can be confronting enough as an adult. Then we wonder how this will impact on our kids. Or how we will raise them in an online environment.
