For children growing up in this age, discovering who they are and
what their sexual identity is can be more then confusing. If they begin
to experience some lesbian, gay, or bisexual tendencies then they may
seek some comfort or solace in sharing this with friends and peers. The
foremost way of socializing nowadays is through social networking sites,
text messaging, and instant messenger services such as GTalk and so on.
But sharing such details on the internet is never a good idea. Children
and teens can be targets of cyber bullying by all sorts of people that
you may not be aware of which can include, friends, relatives, and these
include adults too.
The sad fact is we live in a brutal world and in brutal times. It’s difficult living in times of global economic crisis; it’s even more difficult living in times of intolerance and fear of others who may be dubbed ‘different’, ‘weird’, or even ‘freakish’. And of course, as a parent, these are the last things one wants to hear associated with their child. The internet is not the nicest virtual neighborhood. After all, there aren’t enough restrictions, rules, or regulations in place for any adult to let their child just wander the virtual social landscapes without supervision. So what should a concerned parent do?
Here are some steps to go about monitoring your child and making sure that they don’t fall prey to cyber bullies and hence end up losing confidence in their abilities and sense of self esteem.
Observe your child’s internet practices
In order to monitor your child in such a way that you are up to date on what is happening around them when they log on to the internet, you should first know what their internet routine is. If they access it through their cell phone, through their laptop or the family PC, or perhaps when they go over to a friend’s place, you should go about picking out the best monitoring apps keeping that in mind.
If your child is still a preteen or under 13 and already demonstrating some sexual deviancy then it would be a good option to bar them from owning a personal cell phone just yet. That way you could talk to them about the changes in their selves and explain to them what to do in case of online bullying and threats before they occur.
Monitor their access devices
In case they are old enough or you feel that they can handle having a personal cell phone, its time you invest in a cell phone monitoring app. If they own their own laptop then you will need computer and internet monitoring software for that device. If they use the family PC only then you can spend time with them when they are online and go about networking and interacting online together.
You can avail a range of apps and spyware software that will allow you to check their browsing history, their emails, their pictures and text messages as well as their contact lists. This way if they receive any harassing texts or multimedia messages, you’ll be in on the loop too and hence equipped to deal with the emotional and mental drama that may afflict your child. As a parent, you will also be able to block any such bullies from Facebook, Twitter, and other sites before the malicious content even reaches your child, preventing mental injury.
The sad fact is we live in a brutal world and in brutal times. It’s difficult living in times of global economic crisis; it’s even more difficult living in times of intolerance and fear of others who may be dubbed ‘different’, ‘weird’, or even ‘freakish’. And of course, as a parent, these are the last things one wants to hear associated with their child. The internet is not the nicest virtual neighborhood. After all, there aren’t enough restrictions, rules, or regulations in place for any adult to let their child just wander the virtual social landscapes without supervision. So what should a concerned parent do?
Here are some steps to go about monitoring your child and making sure that they don’t fall prey to cyber bullies and hence end up losing confidence in their abilities and sense of self esteem.
Observe your child’s internet practices
In order to monitor your child in such a way that you are up to date on what is happening around them when they log on to the internet, you should first know what their internet routine is. If they access it through their cell phone, through their laptop or the family PC, or perhaps when they go over to a friend’s place, you should go about picking out the best monitoring apps keeping that in mind.
If your child is still a preteen or under 13 and already demonstrating some sexual deviancy then it would be a good option to bar them from owning a personal cell phone just yet. That way you could talk to them about the changes in their selves and explain to them what to do in case of online bullying and threats before they occur.
Monitor their access devices
In case they are old enough or you feel that they can handle having a personal cell phone, its time you invest in a cell phone monitoring app. If they own their own laptop then you will need computer and internet monitoring software for that device. If they use the family PC only then you can spend time with them when they are online and go about networking and interacting online together.
You can avail a range of apps and spyware software that will allow you to check their browsing history, their emails, their pictures and text messages as well as their contact lists. This way if they receive any harassing texts or multimedia messages, you’ll be in on the loop too and hence equipped to deal with the emotional and mental drama that may afflict your child. As a parent, you will also be able to block any such bullies from Facebook, Twitter, and other sites before the malicious content even reaches your child, preventing mental injury.
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