An email account opens the world of social media to a youngster. Before setting your child up with email, decide what your family guidelines will be. Do it when they’re young in order to limit push back!
Many parents realize all to well that their children have lively online social lives, but others do not. In any event, at a certain point parents will be asked by their child if they can have a Facebook account. Or a Twitter. Or an Instagram. And it’s all in the name of fun and socialization. That’s not a bad thing, as long as you’re aware of what they’re doing.
It all starts with an email account. You innocently set it up for your youngster so she can thank her grandma for a birthday gift. Then what?
An email account opens the world of social media in many, many ways. It may begin with something as innocent as Club Penguin, but be sure you’re paying attention to your child’s activities if that email account is established.
When do you step in to see what your child is doing?
As much as you trust your child, the cultural world kids live in kicks in at some point regardless of parents. Even if you get your child an email address just for corresponding with grandma, it takes but a second for that same child to one afternoon click their innocent way to Facebook. Unchallenged older siblings can help younger ones learn the ropes of Usernames and Passwords so you have to decide where you stand on those too: Should you have access to those? It’s a controversial subject for some parents who see it as opening a kid’s diary in a way. Most kids say parents should NOT have access to their accounts. But who’s paying the bills?
So what are your guidelines?
Do you know what your kids younger than 10 are doing with their email addys if they have one?
Twitter? Instagram? Facebook?
