A Treasure Chest and a Minefield: How to Guide Your Child Through the Digital World

The Internet is a vast ocean. While we, adults, are seasoned sea wolves (who sometimes get hit with a storm nevertheless), our children are just young excited sailors. They see only the bright side of the journey. They are yet unable to resist the siren song of social media luring them into dangerous places or resist the waves of unpleasant messages. It is our duty, as parents, to teach them the right course.

The Opportunities of the Digital World

The fact that the online world is dangerous does not mean you should restrict your teenager from using it completely. The Internet is a treasure chest of opportunities for the growing generations.

First, there are educational opportunities. The global network contains educational websites for all ages and levels. These are great for filling the gaps in school and college education or gaining deeper knowledge and skills on the subject your child is interested in. Khan Academy, Wiingy, and Time4Learning are only some examples of such platforms. Besides, many schools successfully use blogs to improve students’ written skills.

The Internet is also a global scene for creativity and self-expression where your child can not only show their talent in art, music creation, coding, and more but also connect with like-minded peers.

Speaking about social connections, the Internet can help your teenager build and participate in communities based on shared interests and explore diverse cultures and perspectives. And, of course, there are dozens of apps for connecting with close friends and family, such as Marco Polo, Volley, and Bunch.

The Rocks Underwater

Despite these vast opportunities, parents should consider the dangers of excessive screen time. Too much screen time can severely impact your child’s mental, physical, and social development.

Research indicates that children start using screens at a very young age, often starting as early as infancy. Children are first exposed to screen media as early as 6 months, and their daily screen time is already 1 hour 16 minutes on average. This number increases to 2 hours 28 minutes by the age of two years. By teenage years, screen time reaches the terrifying value of 7 hours 22 minutes daily, or about 43% of waking hours!

Although screen media can enhance educational opportunities, studies show their excessive use at an early age correlates with lower cognitive abilities, poorer academic performance, and lower executive functioning in the future.

At an early age, children develop crucial aspects of language, such as vocabulary and phonology, through interactions with parents and caregivers. High screen time reduces the quality of these interactions, negatively impacting the child’s language development.

Another study reveals that excessive screen time correlates with childhood obesity, and this correlation becomes more prominent with age. Each extra hour of daily screen time increases the risk by 13%!

Screens affect not only the child’s physical but also their mental state. They are associated with increased risks of sleep disorders, depression, and anxiety. Research indicates that teenagers with four or more hours of daily screen time are significantly more likely to experience anxiety (27.1%) and depression (25.9%) symptoms compared to those with less screen time. Excessive screen time, exposure to fast-paced or violent content, and sleep problems can trigger ADHD-related behaviors and raise the chance of engaging in aggressive and anti-social behavior. Addiction to screens may decrease social coping skills and even contribute to the development of craving behaviors.

Moreover, too much screen time can physically alter a kid’s brain. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study found that children who use screens more than seven hours a day have a thinner cortex compared to those who use them less. The cortex is the outermost layer of the brain that processes information. This study proves excessive screen time hinders the child’s critical mental development.

Besides, let’s not forget about inappropriate information, online predators, and cyberbullying. Seattle Medium writes there are approximately 500,000 online predators active each day in the U.S., with a significant number targeting minors. Cyberbullying is also a vast problem: 26.5% of teens reported experiencing it in 2023.

Scientists continue studying the effect of screen media on children’s developing organisms, and more negative correlations can be found later. However, it is already clear that too much phone, computer, or TV time harms your kid’s physical and mental health.

So, What to Do?

Let’s be honest, you cannot prohibit your child from using screens completely. Phones, computers, and the Internet are deeply intertwined in our daily lives, from school studies to connecting with relatives living far away. What you can do is promote responsible use of screen media and keep an eye on your child’s online activity.

Follow screen time recommendations by age

Screen media, computers, or phones are not recommended for infants (0–18 months), except for limited video chatting with family. Passive screen exposure can significantly hinder development at this age.

Limited high-quality content is acceptable for toddlers (18–24 months), but it should ideally be viewed with caregivers. The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends no more than 30 minutes weekly, and for educational purposes or physical activity only. Do not use screens during meal or snack time.

The recommendations are similar for preschoolers. This age group can watch up to one hour of high-quality educational content daily.

School-age children (5–17) are recommended to balance screen time with physical activity and a healthy amount of sleep. Aim for no more than two hours per day of recreational screen time, while allowing the necessary educational use.

Set clear boundaries

Establish clear and consistent rules for screen time usage, for example, setting daily or weekly time limits and determining appropriate content. Designate specific home areas, such as the dining room or bedrooms, as “tech-free zones.” You can also establish tech-free time throughout the day: family meals, playtime, or before sleep. These rules will help your child explore other interests, build connections with the family, and develop healthy habits.

Involve your children in creating these rules, so they feel more invested in the process and develop a sense of shared responsibility.

Monitor the child’s screen use and Internet activity

Children cannot critically evaluate the information or people they communicate with online. You may establish rules and policies, but children wouldn’t be children if they didn’t try to break them. Openly demanding to show their chats or browser history might irritate the teenager and ruin the trust between you. Luckily, technology offers more subtle ways to keep an eye on the kid.

There are special parental control apps tracking the child’s activity on a computer or phone. Spyrix Phone Tracker for Android is one such app. It logs all calls and SMS with timestamps and phone numbers or contact names. Besides, the app gives you access to all media files on the child’s phone, including photos and images.

Your child’s Internet activity will not remain unnoticed with Spyrix Phone Tracker — the app records all visited websites and search queries. You will know what content your kid sees online and what information they look for. This information will give you insights into your kid’s current interests and help ensure they do not engage with any unwanted content. Notice something inappropriate? Block it with an in-built site blocker.

Teenagers spend a lot of time on social media — and you can see their activity there too. Spyrix Phone Tracker monitors all popular social networks and messengers, such as WhatsApp, Discord, Tinder, Instagram, Snapchat and more. The app logs all incoming and outgoing messages with time stamps and contact names, allowing you to control the child’s online communication and detect bullies or predators early. The app can even track location, so you will always know where the child is.

Spyrix Phone Tracker does not require rooting the target phone, which distinguishes it from other similar apps. There is a step-by-step installation guide to make the setup process as easy as possible.

Spyrix also offers software for monitoring computers: Spyrix Personal Monitor for PCs and Spyrix Keylogger for Mac for macOS. The computer apps have a rich feature set similar to their Android app. They can take screenshots, track website history, search queries, and activity on social media, stream the computer screen live, block unwanted content, record video and sound from the webcam, and more.

Parental control software gives you peace of mind regarding your child’s online activity. It works subtly (most apps work in hidden mode) and is more efficient than traditional control methods. However, to secure trust between you and your child, you should discuss the monitoring methods you use and why you use them.

Educate the child on digital literacy

Teach children to question the source of information they find online. Is it from a reputable news source, a personal blog, or an anonymous website? Encourage them to verify information from multiple sources and look for potential biases in online content.

Personal information is the newest weapon of our time, and it is vital to teach the child to protect it. Teach children not to share personal information online, such as their full name, address, phone number, or passwords. Explain the dangers of phishing emails, suspicious links, and online scams. The child must know how to create and handle strong passwords and adjust privacy settings on social media and other websites.

Discuss the dangers of interacting with strangers online and the importance of reporting suspicious behavior. Explain how to respond to cyberbullying (blocking, reporting, and seeking help). Besides, encourage respectful online communication, including appropriate language and avoiding online arguments.

Most importantly, ensure your child that you are always there for them and they can seek your help whatever happens.

Wrapping Up

The Internet offers huge opportunities for children, but they come with dangers. It is your duty as a parent to mitigate these dangers. By following the tips from this article, you can ensure that your child gets the best of modern technologies.