Whatever a kid does on the internet stays there and can be used to trace back to the kid. Social media has made it even easier where kids post pictures, share their important news, where they live, where they study and much more. These photos can be shared ahead and saved by other people. To make the matter worse, it can be used by bullies to exploit them. The other information can be used by online predators to harm them.
How can kids ruin their footprint?
There are a number of ways kids can invite trouble for themselves:
Cyberbullying: If a kid is the bully and expressed hate against other kids or tortured someone to extreme extents, this info will always give a negative impression, even if they corrected themselves later. Similarly, if a kid was bullied in earlier life, that incident can be further used to embarrass or judge that kid by his peers.
Sexting: The photos shared online no longer remain the sender’s property. They are out there and can be used by anyone in any way. Imagine a sexually provocative image getting in the hands of their future boss or partner and how it can affect their relation.
Being irresponsible: Not giving proper credits, expressing hate and anger and spam can all come in the way of the kids.
Role of parents
Despite telling kids about the troubles, they can get irresponsible because they are in an adventurous age. They can also do such a thing unknowingly or due to peer pressure. That is why it is important for parents to take things in their hands and supervise. Just like they keep a check while their kids cook for the first time or swim or go out with friends- to make sure they are safe, they should also check their online activity.
Parents should monitor, but they should not spy as it is not appreciated by kids and can damage their trust. A parental control app like FamilyTime is a great solution as it allows parents to keep a passive check without interfering in their kids’ lives. Look at how you can check and control their behavior:
- Monitor their calls, text messages, contacts, and applications and keep an eye on any inappropriate activity.
- Monitor their web activity, like browser history and bookmarks.
- Put suspicious contacts on a watchlist.
- Restrict unsafe applications.
- Set screen time boundaries and ensure healthy screen time.
- Stays posted about their whereabouts and get Geofencing alerts.
- Filter out adult movies, shows and apps from iTunes.
- Get a heads up in an emergency situation and pick-me-up Alerts.
Get FamilyTime from Google Play or Apple store by clicking on the buttons below:
Keep a clean record
A bad digital footprint can affect kids in their future. They can miss a good job opportunity because of something they did as teenagers. Instead of regretting later it is better to take a step when you can. Use a parental control app and help your kids in maintaining a good record on the internet.