Everything is going digital; most of our lives too! Today, over four billion people use social media platforms all over the world, and most of us find it hard to balance our online and real-world activities. Because it is so, and because the dynamic growth of teenagers makes them more vulnerable to cyberbullying and such, online safety for teens is a grave concern for many parents. Let’s learn how to help your teenager stay safe online.

The Importance of Online Safety

Why is online safety important, you may wonder? While online communication helps the world stay connected, it also poses new kinds of challenges related to safety and security.

Those challenges include threats, inappropriate advances, cyberbullying, financial risks, exposure to inappropriate content, and more from third parties. So, it’s important to know how to help your teenager stay safe online.

The given below tips will help parents stay aware of the steps they can take to protect their teens and themselves from any potential harm in the online world. Also, these top online safety tips would help the parents know what suggestions they could give to their teens to have a positive online experience.

Top Online Safety Tips for Parents and Teens

1. Keep your personal information confidential. Adjust your privacy settings for this purpose, which every social media platform provides with some modifications. While changing the settings, you should be careful about what to share with which audience (family, friends, and strangers). Also, the privacy protection settings will help you reduce the possibility of your data collection.

2. Do not accept random friend requests without taking some measures. You never really know who is trustworthy and who is not even after that, so adopt a “trust and verify” approach in your online interactions. Check their profile, and always trust your instincts. Also, avoid accepting any job offers that you may find suspicious. Be wary of scams because this is what is online safety.

3. Online games pose a risk to online safety for teens and everyone; be alert. Such games may ask for confidential information and put your well-being at risk. Monitor your passwords.

4. Make sure that you are fully aware of cyberbullying and cybersecurity (i.e., of do’s and don’ts in cyberspace). You should know what is online safety and why is online safety important. When anything untoward happens, you can always report it to the police and the concerned organisations. Also, you can always report offensive content and block the concerned. Conversely, avoid spreading rumours and always respect the opinions of others on social media.

5. Keep your webcams covered while not using them. This is an essential part of how to help your teenager stay safe online as well as keep yourself safe.

6. Have a trusted person that you can approach in moments of doubt. Set some rules to promote your positive online experiences. Parents may also make use of any parental control software to keep track of their child’s online activities. Also, they can guide their teen in recognising misinformation and stereotypes when they see them.

There are many such measures that parents and teenagers can take to ensure that the digital world increases their happiness, knowledge, and well-being, instead of harming them in any way. Parents need to equip their children with the right tools through their guidance so that children can protect themselves.

(Also, Read: All You Need to Know About Career Counselling for Teenagers)