Is your child graduating to a new digital device?
May 27th, 2014
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Its graduation time, and smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and laptops are tops on many kids’ wish lists. Whether your child is graduating from preschool or college, it’s never too late to talk with them about online safety before you hand over the new device.
- Set clear rules for young children about who they can talk to, text, or play games with.
- With older kids, discuss online bullying, sexting, and the dangers of using a phone while driving.
- Have kids lock all devices and accounts with a PIN or strong password, and remind them to keep their passwords secret—even from best friends.
- Talk to kids about limiting the personal information they share to close friends only.
- Consider disabling the location services on your young child’s devices; at the very least, turn it off for any camera.
- Teach tweens and teens to use location-based services cautiously.
For more guidelines on kids and online safety, see Digital gift-giving checklist, and download a printable version of the checklist (PDF, 186 KB).
Categories: child safety, college, family, gaming console, graduation, location services, online bullying, passwords, PIN, smartphone, tablet, texting while driving, Windows Phone