Everyone remembers how difficult it was to be a teenager in their day. But in the modern world, with so much digital technology at their fingertips, being a modern-day teenager is extremely difficult as well. For parents, discussing phone and security needs like how to check a phone number or when to be cautious online can be tricky. Here are some useful tips to help you teach your teenagers about phone safety while respecting their boundaries at the same time.
Parental controls and apps
As a precautionary measure, many parents prefer to choose which sites their teens can visit by putting parental controls in place that monitor what their children watch and how long they can be on a device. There are even spending limits you can implement to stop children from falling for apps that charge parents a small fortune.
Phone Safety – Social network security risks
Chances are that your teens are only just beginning to make use of social networking platforms. And while this may be an exciting time for them, the risks of their information being stolen will increase dramatically.
Most teens will click every last box that allows social networking sites to gain access to their personal information. And while this is done purely for personalised advertising purposes, scammers can easily guess their passwords based on this information and steal their identity entirely.
Talking with your children about these dangers and how to update their privacy settings can make a huge difference here.
Online bullying
Cyberbullying is tricky for teenagers to talk about and difficult for parents to sometimes understand. Much like physical bullying, victims of cyberbullying may not want to discuss it with their families. However, there are some signs you can be mindful of in order to help you spot whether your child is the victim of online bullying.
Are they avoiding school completely? Or perhaps ignoring their devices? Do they seem unhappy and withdrawn? If so, it may be a sign of cyberbullying, but as we are dealing with teenagers here, it may be standard hormones. In other words, it’s best to approach this issue with sensitivity and caution.
Scam callers and other pests
It’s vital that your teenagers also be aware of how important Phone Safety is to avoid nuisance calls and how they can spot potential scam callers. As a general rule, perhaps they can agree only to pick up calls that are from family or known friends.
There’s not really any need for a teen to pick up any other call. Let’s face it, anything that’s under an unknown number or a call from a company claiming to need details and information from a teenager shouldn’t be trusted.
In the end, while there are many things for teenagers to be wary of when using their mobile devices, it all comes down to having open and honest discussions with them about these issues and concerns. With luck, these open communications can form strong trust between parents and children, while also keeping scammers at bay for good!
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