Parental tips for online learning



It’s best to know the web’s terrain before your kids start in

tips, parents, online learning, safety

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.




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