In this era of digitalization, it has become challenging to maintain our children’s privacy. The multiple social media platforms available in the market have convinced us all that it’s safe to be on those platforms. However, what we fail to understand is how secure or how private are these platforms after all?

The feeling of being a parent is unique. If one had to put the exact words for this feeling, they would most certainly be “Love” and “Protection”. As parents, we are entitled to feel possessive about little ones. At the very same time, we also see our little ones as our achievement. 

In times like these, it just seems reasonable to share our milestones on social platforms. We feel like capturing every moment of happiness and share it with the world and for future reference. Be it the child’s first laugh, the first babble or just the first time they said a word, it all gets saved onto our mobile phones. In times like these, it feels harmless to capture or share those precious images. 

However, have you ever wondered if these unintentional acts are getting in the way of your child’s privacy? At the end of the day, the child is another little human being who will grow up to have his/her own choices someday. 

After all, why is privacy important to kids?

A baby’s birth is an extraordinary moment in every family. The parents share every little milestone with families and friends in the form of images and videos. The first few years are the most crucial, and that is when parents feel the most protective of their little ones. However, with time, we learn to balance things out. Eventually, parents cut themselves some slack and allow themselves some time. This is when we allow family members to take care of the child. In the real world, we find it tough to let our child be with a stranger in our absence. However, in the virtual world, we fail to do so. 

We have all seen cute images and funny videos of a random kid on the internet, haven’t we? It looks like an innocent video of a child smearing his face with a pastry. We see these kinds of pictures on our social media feed and albums very frequently. Our family and friends are a part of our social media platforms, but so are many others who are strangers to us. Uploading pictures of our children in those platforms is very similar to letting our child’s in the hands of a stranger in the virtual world. Why do you think parents do something like this in the virtual world that would be unthinkable in the real world? The answer is, we have a habit of taking data security very lightly. Accidents don’t inform us before happening and this is why it’s important that we stay aware.

The importance of educating yourself and then educating your children

The child grows up with time, s/he makes his/her own opinions with time. The child still needs the parent’s guidance on certain crucial things where things are beyond their control. Educating a child at the right time is the best practice to manage their privacy. It is the parent’s job to explain the child of the consequences of having an online presence. The child must understand how their activities on the web reflect on their reputation in real life too. In simpler terms, the child must understand the difference between the two worlds. 

Apart from educating the child, the parent should also be aware of all the platforms that their child is indulged in. The parent should also take out some time to figure out how those platforms function and operate. It’s of utmost importance that the parent is aware of the kind of interactions that happen on those platforms and the kind of content that is populated there. Nearly every social media platform has its age restrictions limitations for its users. However, a child might still unlawfully put a wrong age and be on the social media platform. Now, the child has access to content that is not supposed to be visible to someone of his/her age and maturity. 

This is where the interference of parents is required in the child’s life. As a parent, ask yourself if it is justified for your child to be on a specific platform, considering his/her age and maturity. A parent is usually the best judge of his or her child’s nature. 

The difference between giving your child his/her privacy VS protecting them

The concern of at what point is the child’s privacy line is crossed is usually a personal matter. There might be children who have been raised independent and feel interfered sooner than others. There could also be a set of kids who are extremely pampered and depend on parents for most choices. 

When it comes to selecting between safety and privacy, the answer is always safety. There are many cases of cyberbullying, of child predators and other scary stories on the web. In times like these, the definition of safety must be seen a little different in this case. This is why it’s crucial that a parent is fully aware of his/her child’s activity online and can keep things under control. This will allow the parent the liberty to manage situations before they get out of hand. 

Talk to the child openly and talk about the potential threats that are lurking around on the web. Teach your child what to do when something wrong happens, how to react, and whom to confide to. Make sure that your child knows that they can share anything with you without hesitance. Have a level of transparency and explain why you do a certain thing as a parent. This will enable the child to see things from your point of view and avoid misunderstanding. 

Today’s guest post for the startup page was written by:
Mary Jones is the co-founder & editor-in-chief at ExpertAssignmentHelp which focuses on Content Marketing Strategy for clients from the Education industry in the US, Canada & UK. Mary has conducted a series of webinars for AssignmentEssayHelp. She has extensive content editing experience and has worked with MSNBC, NewsCred& Scripted. She has also authored blogs on Lifehack.org, Wn.com, Medium.com, Minds.com and many more…