The digital revolution has been underway for more than 20 years and today’s daycare children have no concept of a world where mass information is not readily available. However, as the use of technology and information services has increased, the dangers unlimited access to information can present have grown as well, and that makes it critically important to protect your children when they are online.
1. Supervision
Because technology permeates their lives, your Montessori daycare child is quickly going to acquire your online skills. On the other hand, children are not aware of the dangers and costs of using apps and need your supervision and guidance to learn how to make good online decisions. This goes beyond interacting with the wrong people, including learning how to spot scams, resist the urge to make unregulated online purchases, and more.
2. Communication
Learning to use digital devices is a perfect opportunity for you to hone your own communication skills because that is going to be the best way to protect your daycare child online. By communicating the dangers and how to spot them, you can give your children an online edge, and by keeping lines of communication open you will be in the loop when your children encounter things like cyber bullies, potential predators, and online scams.
3. Machine Controls
A lot of online content is not suitable for young kids. For this reason, a wide range of parental controls and privacy settings are available for everything from your iPhone to your desktop computer or TV. By implementing these controls, you can weed out a majority of undesirable sites, reduce exposure to profanity and prejudicial language, and block access to sites that do not meet your stringent child-related requirements.
4. Monitor Content
Even after you have made sure that your children are using the Internet in a safe manner, it is still important that you monitor the content of messages, in-game chats, and other communications. The harsh reality is that predators will infiltrate online games and regulated chat rooms posing as children in the hopes of luring other kids into unwanted and potentially harmful online behavior.
Your daycare child is never going to experience a world where instant communication and online availability are uncommon. For this reason, the more you are able to protect your kids now through supervision and communication, the better your children will fare as they web surf, play online games, and interact with the greater world they live in. There is a lot that can be done to protect young children, but the most important thing you can do is supervise and communicate.