Online Safety is everyone's concern- from preschoolers to grandparents.

Many parents hate and fear Facebook. FB guidelines state you must be 13-years-old to have an account, but younger kids must want to get on this hot social media platform. What is a parent to do? I suggested that the family creates a Facebook page together. This way, nervous parents can learn about Facebook alongside their child in a collaborative way. Keep your family site private and only friend your other family members. Your kids can Facebook with their cousins and you can swap family photos with uncles and aunts. With time, experience, and education, parents will feel more comfortable (and probably fall in love with...) Facebook.

The mood change of a teenager when told you are not going to the market. Being secretive about what they do online, withdrawing from the family, and other personality changes could be signs that an online sex offender is preying on your kid. So keep an eye out for any behavioral changes. The amount of time the child spends on the phone instead of reading. The amount of hours spend sitting on tv listening soaps and not news. Check your children’s browsing history. Open your child’s web browser and look for “History” to see a list of websites they’ve been to. Also check the recycle bin to see if any files have been deleted. You may be surprised. Pay attention to any gifts anyone gives your children Sexual predators may send physical letters, photos, or gifts to children to seduce them. Stay alert, and ask your kids about any new toys they bring home. Know your children's passwords But make sure you dont steal them from your children without their knowledge, it will weaken their trust in you

Yes! There are plenty free and paid Parental Control Softwares available in the market. But I don't recommend parental control softwares as it is nearly impossible to stay on top of every device that a child is going to use and it's more important to teach them to independently think about what they are doing with media. Be sure to teach children critical thinking and safe behaviors.

Most important thing to keep in mind is to get curious, not furious. Use this as a chance to ask some questions about Instagram and what your child has been doing on it. It’s also important not to confiscate the device straight away, as many young people tell us that the reason they don’t tell their parents about a problem online is due to worrying that they will take their phone, tablet or access to the internet away. Ensure that your child feels they can come to you without the fear of judgement or punishment if anything worries or upsets them online. Once you have had this conversation you can move on to the next steps, whether that is deleting the account or working together to ensure your child is safe online. Why not take a look at the app together? Take time to review the profile they have set up and discuss whether their privacy settings and the content they post are appropriate. This can be a good chance to discuss why they want an Instagram account, and gives you time to explain why it may not be suitable for them to do so. It’s also key to be prepared to hear the argument of ‘everyone else is on it’. As children get older, they don't want be left out. Peer pressure is more real nowadays than you may think.

Great question! and you’re not alone. So many parents feel this struggle. First, minimize “monologue” and maximize “dialogue.” Listen more than lecturing. Lecturing only guarantees eye-rolls. Moms and Dads need to learn to use questions. But how we ask questions is also important. But even then we can get the occasional eye roll if we’re trying to “teach” them something or pass on an important value. That’s why it’s good to consider leading our kids toward discovery instead of just talking at them. Ask them "what they should do in this situation?" rather than blunt orders like "You must not do this!" And finally… teens will just be teens. Don’t take it personal. Sometimes you need to just “let it go” (something I talked about on Jim Daly’s show on FOCUS ON FAMILY).

A ‘finstagram’ (sometimes called a ‘finsta’) is a secret, private account that young people may have alongside their main Instagram account. Young people who have these accounts may only allow their close friends follow it and may use it to post funny, embarrassing or personal content. Young people may create this type of account as it is can be a fun way to express themselves to their close friends, without fear of judgement from their wider peer group who may be following their main Instagram account. But let your teen know that just because it's a private account, doesn't mean they can post something that can be used against them. What goes out on the internet stays on the internet.

When you over-share about your child online, whether he is a toddler or a teenager, you are clearly Sharenting. It is even worse when you share nude/ embarrassing pictures of them. What goes on the internet, stays on the internet. Later down the line, when your child grows older he/she is bullied based on that. When posting about your children, a lot of personal information may be hidden in photos and videos, this includes: School name: shown by the school uniform worn in pictures Home address: shown by house numbers or street names in the background of photos Date of birth: either in the background of pictures or via birth announcements and birthdays Phone numbers: shown on documents in the background of pictures or on the collar of a family pet

Arghh! That's the hardest to control. The easiest method to prevent that would be by not allowing phones/computer in the bedrooms especially at night. Sexting isn’t something they typically do sitting on the couch next to Mom. But we also need to teach them how the behave at the times we aren’t sitting next to them. We need to help them become aware of many of the precautions when chatting with others—principles like “never chat with someone you haven’t met face to face,” “never post your location,” etc. Self control is a skill that every teen needs to develop to avoid falling in vicous traps of fake/toxic relationships which would hurt their mental health very badly.

There are apps that can do this, but personally I don’t recommend them. I recommend just setting the parental restrictions on the phones appropriately for their age, then having conversations about content. When they realize, they may feel like you are violating their privacy and start finding creative ways to go around escaping your view. Being too strict, only makes the kids better liars. Having a conversation about the consequences they would have to face with every bad decision they make online miht go a long way!