For
the last 3 months of schooling, most, if not all parents integrated online
activities with remote learning. Now as fall is approaching and schools reveal
their new directions, parents will be making decisions on how to effectively
use online resources to support their kids as they move forward.
With
online learning come parental questions and responsibilities. Mave Yao Co Say
of Business Mirror recently outlined five things parents need to
know to prepare themselves as they weave family life into their child’s home
learning with online safety in mind.
First
off is the idea of communication. Using a recent survey conducted by
multinational cyber-security specialist and antivirus provider Kaspersky, it
was revealed that a majority of parents (58 percent) have spent less than 30
minutes talking to their children about online safety throughout their kids’
childhood. You can and should do more. Laying down clear-cut rules and
discussing this with your child from the get-go is a good start. Important to
discuss protection of confidential login details or financial data to the
danger of random downloads.
Second,
try surfing the web together instead of checking your kids’ use after the fact.
It’s important to build mutual trust. It’s also advisable to keep devices out
in the open, placed in communal spaces around the house to help parents stay on
top of any potential issues.
Third,
limit online time. Remember, it’s called The Web for a reason: they can get
caught in’s tentacles and lose sight of the homework and other reasons they are
supposed to be online, especially if you’re a kid vs us as adults who can also
get tangled.
The
Kaspersky survey referenced found that a quarter (26 percent) of children become
addicted to the Internet. This has often led to kids clamming up emotionally
and socially, displaying irritability or signs of depression when not online.
Fourth,
how about setting a debriefing session daily? “Oftentimes, search results for
study purposes don’t exactly lead to the kind of information one is looking for,”
the author writes. “A child might make an innocent search for a school topic
but may find mature content intended for adults.”
Finally,
educate yourself on the cyber world so you can discuss what worries you, and
excites you about their online learning, beforehand.
“In
one of the surveys in the past where children were asked globally, 75 percent
of the kids said they’d feel safer if they could speak with their parents about
online dangers. Again, we start by educating ourselves and choosing the correct
tools to help us and kids each to stay safe online,” said Yeo Siang Tiong,
general manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky.