The Cyber Safety Tech Mum

The Cyber Safety Expert teaching parents how to keep their kids safe on the internet.

Discussing Online Behaviour with Kids

Discussing Online Behaviour with Kids

Online BehaviourI have written a number of posts about why and how you can make the internet safer in your home, but this post isn’t about internet safety. It is about being responsible for our behaviour when we are online. Since we are parenting digital kids, we need to ensure that they behave appropriately when they are online. Start as early as you can, but if your kids are heading towards the age where they are old enough to have a social media account, then you are in a prime time to start educating them.

Consider the following statements:

  • If you wouldn’t like it done to you, then don’t do it to someone else
  • Treat others as you would like them to treat you
  • Consider others feelings
  • Respect other people
  • Remember your digital footprint
  • THINK before you press send…..texts, posts, photos, comments and videos

Most of these are concepts that our kids have already heard, daily!  Help them understand that the same rules apply to online activity.

We all know that you can’t just sit a child down and start sprouting off on a topic and expect them to a) be interested, b) take anything in or c) actually listen!

You have to pick your moment to discuss online behaviour!  

So here are some ideas on when you can start a conversation.

  • In the car.  It actually might help your child to take part in the conversation if they don’t have to make eye contact with you.
  • First thing in the morning or just before bed. If your child is a morning person, they may be happy to chat before their day begins.  Other kids are happy to share what happened during their day and chat just before bed.
  • Go for a walk and talk along the way.
  • When you bring a new device into the home. Take the opportunity to throw in some reminders during the ‘handover.’  (After you have setup all of the restrictions on the device of course!)
  • When they are using their device. Sit with them, engage with them. Show interest in what they are doing. Have them teach you the game or watch the video with them and chat.When they are walking away from the computer or their device.  Perhaps ask if they were playing their favourite game and lead into some topics around treating people with respect online.
  • Leading up to their 13th birthday. This is the age requirement for most social media accounts.  13 years old is a minimum requirement but don’t forget, you are the parent and you get to decide if and when your child will have a social media account.

We all wish for our kids to be nice people so lets get talking to them about online behaviour.

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Comments

  1. Judy Cohen says

    Great tips for such a relevant topic. I’ve always said we have to teach by example and the Internet is the most important example we can give. Thanks for the helpful info! -Judy

    Reply

  2. Nanou says

    I’m a secondary school teacher and every year we have people who come and talk to the kids about cyber bullying. What was very useful was using emotions when addressing the girls and talking about kids who committed suicide after being bullied. Boys reacted to the fact that whatever you post online will ALWAYS be there and there could be serious legal consequences. I believe though that parents also have a big role to play in educating their kids about being nice to others.
    Great post!

    Reply

    • TheTechMum says

      Thankyou for sharing the different ways that girls and boys respond to this type of information. I hope to move towards giving classroom talks and your information will be very useful to me as I start to prepare the presentations. Thanks!

      Reply

  3. Beth | AlmostPosh.com says

    This is something I think about a lot, even though my daughter is only 3.5 – she already knows her way around an iPad like nobody’s business. It will be a lot different for her growing up in a digital world than me, this post is really useful. Visiting from Secret Blogger’s Society FB page.

    Reply

  4. Cat says

    Great post. It’s hard trying to get kids to understand how serious technology is and everything involved. I swear they look at parents like you have no idea!
    We as parents need to make sure we understand things before we let our kids run wild with them.

    Reply

  5. Jay says

    Great tips – i have had these conversations with my young daughter – but i doesn’t hurt to have a refresher conversation with her making sure she is staying safe online

    Reply

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