Benefits of Teaching Your Child Internet Safety

While the internet is a place full of tremendous capabilities, that’s something you, as a parent, must navigate, and it’s not easy. Now, imagine your child navigating the internet. It can be a confusing place full of twists and turns, which is why internet safety is so important. Teaching your child internet safety has many benefits, as it will help ensure they use the internet productively and stay safe doing it.

Avoiding Scams

One of the greatest benefits of teaching your children internet safety early is learning how to avoid scams. The internet is full of people. Some are very sharp and can spot scams, and others aren’t as internet-literate, meaning they’ll fall victim to these scams more frequently. It will take time for your children to learn internet literacy as well as you. But in the interim, you can teach them that, in general, you shouldn’t be quick to click on links or attachments. Anything that seems too good to be true probably is, and if they’re still unsure about something, teach them to get you to investigate further. Scams can get them into hot water or get your credit card number stolen, so avoiding these consequences is definitely one of the better benefits of teaching your child internet safety.

Sensitive Information

Another benefit of teaching your children internet safety is that they understand the difference between normal information and sensitive information. Normal information is something simple and inconsequential, something about how you had a great day and are eating pizza for dinner. Conversely, sensitive information is information others can see and use to invade your privacy. Examples of sensitive information include:

• Addresses
• Phone numbers
• Birthdays
• Current location
• Bank account numbers

Your child may not have access to bank account numbers, but still, there is information they should not share online. When you teach them about internet safety, you’re helping to instill that this information is sacred. They shouldn’t be so willing to share it online or whenever someone asks for it.

Mental Health

A healthy mind is another benefit of teaching your child internet safety. The internet is not always the most fun place to be around, and it can be even more overwhelming when you’re a child with a developing brain. When you teach your child internet safety and that they should navigate only around safe sites, not believe everything they read, and not talk to strangers, they are better protected. Your child can better defend themselves from cyberbullying by learning that the internet is not always real life. Additionally, they’ll be better prepared to navigate these spaces so they don’t simply internalize everything they’re reading, letting it degrade their mental health.

Teaching your child internet safety has lots of benefits, but there’s a difference between teaching your child to be safe and them actually following through. These smart devices make it easy to get lost across the web, which is part of why many parents are looking at alternatives like the kids’ emergency watch. At TickTalk Tech, we offer smartwatches that restrict the internet, social media, and games, making them a safe alternative for your children. You can still communicate with them, and they can take photos, stream music, and even make video calls, but on top of everything else, they’ll also be safe.