Facebook is a fun and engaging social media platform for children to be on it as it allows them to interact with their friends and play games with them online. However, the same platform can also be potentially dangerous for them which is why parents may need to spy on their Facebook activity or carry out the Facebook Messenger hack.
When we speak of internet safety for children, one significant aspect that must be discussed is social media platforms like Facebook. There is no doubt that Facebook can be a great platform for children to communicate with each other. But it’s necessary for parents to be mindful of all the online dangers and negative effects of being on such platforms.
Parents should never allow their children unlimited or unsupervised access to Facebook, any other social media site or the internet as it is unsafe. Growing children always need constant guidance and support for being safe online.
Sometimes it so happens that parents start believing that having a discussion about the internet or social media platforms is a no-go area for them since they are not familiar with that space. However, this is not it should be. They should be familiar with social media platforms and be able to know how they can keep their children safe on them.
Tips for Keeping Children Safe on Facebook
Surely, parents can help keep their children safe on Facebook given they are already familiar with using the platform themselves and know the online safety tips for the children. Let’s discuss some easy tips to help keep your children safe on Facebook and other social media platforms.
Use Parental Controls
Parental controls are considered an important component of online safety for children. While they can only go so far, still they do an effective job in keeping the online world safe for children. It’s common for children to accidentally come across inappropriate and explicit content on Facebook.
When children get to watch such content on the platform, they become too embarrassed to discuss it out with their parents. That is why parental controls and online filtering matters because they help parents keep a check on their children’s online activity. They may even use a Facebook hack tool to pry into their Facebook activity and read their private messages.
Be Familiar with Facebook
Before allowing your child to join Facebook, make sure you have already researched about the app and have spent some considerate time on it. You need to become familiar with Facebook, how it works and to what extent it could be potentially dangerous for your children. Once you know about the platform, you will be able to offer guidance about using it properly and safely in a much better way.
Becoming aware of the platform where your child insists to spend time on is important because it will give you a clear idea about the place and how it is going to affect your child. Ask your child why they want to join Facebook, who they are going to add on Facebook, what they wish to post and why.
Be Aware of Online Threats
It’s given that every social media platform is invaded by all sorts of online threats be it cyberbullying, sexting, cyberstalking, pedophilia, etc. These online dangers can be potentially dangerous for your children as they can manipulate and lead them in the wrong way.
Make sure you are already aware of the online threats lurking on Facebook because only then you will be able to teach your children how to stay away from them. However, before you are able to teach your children about their ramifications, you need to first understand them and know how dangerous they could be to your child’s wellbeing.
Know About Facebook Depression
People have a habit of posting about their happy events and news on Facebook, telling the entire world about it. Many researchers have said that looking at those happy posts of others can make some children with poor self-esteem feel depressed.
It is up to you to explain to your child that what they see on Facebook is not an accurate reflection of a person’s everyday real life. People hardly post news about bad times or failures but they wouldn’t shy away from posting about the good news. This can instill Facebook depression in the minds of young children who have self-esteem problems. Make sure you explain to them the difference between real life and the virtual world.
Establish Trust and Communication
In order to keep your children feel safe on social media sites like Facebook, you need to ensure that your child knows that they can come up to you with a problem any time and that you will hear them out to whatever issues they may be having without fear of losing your love or affection.
When your child becomes comfortable around you, he feels confident that he can rely on you and confide in you in difficult times. This will help them come clean to you and be more open about all the problems they have been facing in their daily lives. Therefore, you need to give them some space and establish trust and communication with them.
