Parenting in this digital era can be fun and overwhelming at the same time. Thanks to the internet, children can research their homework and find other valuable educational resources. But the internet can be toxic to your child if care is not taken. Your child can be a victim of cyberbullying, adult content, gambling, hacking, and more. Thankfully, we have provided 5 helpful tips on how moms can protect their digital kids. Let’s get right to it!

  1. Dialogue is Key with Kids

This should be any parent’s first line of defence. Exploit the fact that your child will take every piece of advice you give them. Talk to them about the dangers of the internet and how to tread carefully online. For example, you can advise your child not to share personal information with strangers. You can also tell them to inform you whenever someone contacts them with malicious activities. In short, explain the rules that govern their online activities. 

  1. Limit Internet Access

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that children younger than two shouldn’t have any screen time. The body also recommends no more than two hours of screen time per day for older kids. As mean as it sounds, the idea is to protect your child against excessive screen time. You can also turn off the internet and collect your child’s internet devices during crucial hours like bedtime, dinner time, study time, etc. Remember to tell them why you’re doing so. 

  1. Encourage Outdoor Activities

If your child spends the whole play watching TV or playing PlayStation, then the chances are that you’re not doing enough. Responsible mothers should encourage their kids to play outdoors with other children. Apart from improving their cognitive thinking, outdoor play can also shed off some excessive weight. 

Use a parental control device

Manually monitoring your child’s digital activities can be an arduous task. Fortunately, numerous parental control apps help mothers remotely control their kids’ online activities. A good example is Google Family Link, which allows you to monitor screen time, block devices, block websites, filter website content, and more. Most apps will even send notifications whenever something suspicious happens on your kid’s phone. And yes, all modern phones, computers, game consoles, and smart TVs have inbuilt parental control features. 

Lead from the front

Another tried and proven parental control tip for mums is being a good role model. Remember that children often copy what adults do. For example, your child will likely do the same if you use your phone during bed or dinner time. Also, your child will follow you outside for a walk, run, exercise, and more. You don’t expect your child to be physically fit when you dread going to the gym, do you?

Summary

These are some parental control tips to help moms cultivate healthy digital habits for their children. Others include setting strong passwords, using a VPN service, and deleting your personal data from Google. Remember, cybercriminals will steal your child’s critical information at the slightest opportunity.