How to teach your children about the proper use of the internet and social networks

Cyberbullying is on the rise. Here are some tips for parents to help their children use the internet and social media effectively.

educate children

EDUCATING CHILDREN –

Il 77,4% deyoung people under 30 is registered with Facebook, 72,5% a YouTube. Almost all kids use one smartphone (85,7%) and one in three (36,6%) has a tablets. This is what emerges from the last one Censis Report on Communication.

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However, these numbers, as the article underlines, L'Espresso “Bad education”, does not correspond to a correct use of digital media. Indeed, the phenomenon of cyberbullying è growing and translates into pranks, naivety or naivety, whose severity is amplified by sharing via telephone or on social networks and a “alarming phenomenon”, according to the president of the Juvenile Court of Bologna, Giuseppe Spadaro. A real “social emergency”, as the Postal Police defines it.

It's possible to prevent your children from being trapped by this phenomenon, turning into victims or perpetrators. Here are some rules to follow. educate children to a correct use of the network.

  • Learn about new technologies
    To avoid being afraid of the tools that your children they use so casually, it is vital to learn about them. You can frequent some dedicated courses, where they will explain everything to you: from what a social network is to how to use it, which are the main ones and the mechanisms that regulate them.
    You can also decide to have your children teach you about new digital tools. Taking an interest in what they're passionate about will certainly be a great way to spend time together and not leave them alone with technology. A great way to stay in touch with them is to: playing together through the apps and video games they love.
  • Set some rules
    It will be important to establish, perhaps together with your children, some times and mode di access to technology. You will thus teach the smaller how to be on social networks or use video games correctly, respecting oneself and others. The message that must be conveyed is that the behavior must not change since digital world and in that real.
    Useful in this sense, it will be position il computer or the tablet in one shared space, for example, in the classroom. This way, children will be subjected to latent control and will feel less free to engage in inappropriate behavior, even online.
  • parental control
    On the home devices that the child accesses, it may be useful to activate the “Family Filter”A tool that will prevent your children from browsing risky sites, such as violent sites or sites containing pornographic content.
    It is also very important to check what the privacy settings of the various social networks and, perhaps, remove some information: such as the school you attend, your home address and disable geolocation.
  • Talking together
    Il dialogue It's always the best way to explain to your children the risks associated with using new technologies and the reasons for the rules you've imposed. By engaging in a discussion, you can make them understand. aware of the situation and you too will be able to obtain useful information on what they are experiencing at school or in their virtual life.
  • Lessons at school and trained teachers
    To prevent cyberbullying, the Ministry of Education has drawn up some Guidelines dedicated to schools, such as the activation of lessons the distribution of information material. The National school plan It provides adequate training for teachers, including with regard to new technologies and their critical and informed use by students.
    Therefore, find out about the activities organized at the school your children attend and sign them up for these initiatives.

TO KNOW MORE: Educate without yelling. Anger is useless.

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