14 DAY TRIAL // The security solutions provider McAfee released an advisory that teaches parents how to behave around their offspring to make sure they become a good model when it comes to the use of high-tech gadgets and the Internet.
“What child doesn’t want to be just like Mom, Dad or an older sibling?” Stanley Holditch, online family safety advocate at McAfee, asks.
“Kids today see Mom spending lots of time on social networking sites, Dad taking calls or checks email during the dinner hour and older siblings texting friends and listening to music on their cell phones while doing homework. Now is the time for parents to model good behavior and etiquette.”
Because technology is widely present in our everyday lives and children are one way or the other influenced by it, parents should follow some basic principles.
The figures show that adults spend more than 3 hours each day on the Internet, but youths aged between 8 and 18 tend to use their computers and smartphones for more than 7 hours on a daily basis. This is why experts believe that parents should set rules for the use of electronic devices, rules that apply not only to their children, but also themselves.
A worrying statistic shows that many communicate with their children via text messages while they’re in the house. A recent Nielsen study revealed that teenagers send more than 3000 SMSs each month and adults are quickly catching up.
While many kids get to access the Internet each day, few of their guardians actually try to make sure that the content they’re presented with is filtered or monitored. The use of special applications is recommended to limit Internet use, block inappropriate sites and certain chat environments.
According to studies, too much use of technology can leave a child socially impaired, but it can also affect their sleeping habits and study performance.
Youths should also be taught by their parents on how and who to connect with on social networks. It’s not seldom we see situations where cyber and non-cyber criminals approach children with ill-purposes.