Being a parent can feel a bit tough nowadays with the extra burden of technology looming over your shoulders. A kid can just pick up a tablet and get online, instantly able to interact with numerous people and their creations. And while this can certainly be a great thing when the child has proper mentoring on how to use it all, leaving a young one unattended for too long can have disastrous results. It’s important to know what you should be prepared for, and how to deal with the common issues that you’re going to face.
Social Media and Online Interactions Your kids will be able to connect to multiple people with great ease, and that’s a fact you’ll have to get used to as early as possible. You won’t be able to stop those communications from occurring, but what you can do is teach your kids about the dangers of sharing too much with people online. We’re raising a generation of kids that see no issue with spreading their real name, address and other data all over the Internet, and this is a ticking time bomb that can lead to some serious problems in the very near future.
Data Safety Like most people nowadays, you probably keep a lot of important documents on your home devices. There’s an old saying from the field of computer security that goes something like “if your data is not stored in at least two physically separate locations, then it doesn’t exist”. And that’s true – losing all your home devices to an accident can quickly wreak havoc on your life if you rely on them for things like doing your online taxes, or worse, your main work.
And you don’t have to suffer a house fire for something like that to happen – one glass spilled in the wrong place can sometimes be enough. Make sure that you look up a company with a data recovery clean room and know their contact details. Hopefully, you’ll never have to actually use their services, but it’s better to be prepared and have the ability to act immediately.
Advanced Computer Skills Being young is the perfect time to pick up valuable new skills, and considering how important programming and similar advanced computer abilities are becoming nowadays, it’s a good idea to try pushing your kids in that direction gently. Don’t force it – not everyone has a natural interest in that, and just like things like maths and physics, if your kids want to explore them, they will. Just make sure that you’re there to show them the right way and sign them up for classes, etc. when they truly need your help –they’ll appreciate it later.
The prospect of raising a kid today doesn’t have to be a scary one as long as you know what to expect and how to handle the more problematic potential situations. As with most issues related to parenting, the most important thing is to always communicate clearly and openly, and make sure to follow up on any issues your kids might be having if they’re trying to get your attention.
Definitely teaching them (not restricting them) on how the tech/their behavior works including the dangers of socializing online is important.
Thanks for sharing Mitch. Children learn new knowledge very quickly. Parents need to guide their them on how to approach new knowledge. We cannot forbid kids to go online learning new things. Instead, teaching children how to protect themselves with malicious information.
Hi, Its a great help indeed as i too have a son who is into technology a lot!. However the deal is that i am a web developer and my website is https://www.myglobalcv.ae/ which keeps my son more interested towards the same. Anyways thanks!!