What is G.R.I.T and how can it improve your child’s online safety?
You may discover nearly any information online because the internet is designed for a wide audience. However, you must ensure that your child is shielded from child predators, inappropriate video viewing, cyber bullying, and contacting unwanted people. Teaching kids digital safely is the duty of every parent. Children can stay safe by learning a few online safety guidelines from their parents. We have this concept in our lesson that can be taught to kids to make them more responsible digital citizens. The concept is ‘GRIT’.
What is G.R.I.T?
Acronym GRIT stands for Guard, Recognize, Investigate and Think. Teaching kids digital safety through GRIT is a need of the time. It is crucial to educate your child a few fundamental cyber life skills, just as you have taught them to look both ways before crossing the street. Read the article to learn how teaching your child GRIT can make them more responsible with their web browsing.
Guard Against Emotions Being Affected By Digital Influences
Who are the friends of your kids? Are they a positive or negative influence? Parents have struggled with these issues for a very long time. As a parent, you continually watch who your child spends time with because you are highly aware of how a positive or negative influence may affect your child’s development. This issue has grown exponentially since the beginning of the digital era. As a parent you need to invest your time teaching kids digital safety.
With the internet comes the age of Social Media Influencers
In the digital age, social media influencers and online personalities have replaced celebrities and have taken centre stage in our children’s lives and believe me this is affecting our kids. In this era, it is common for children to have an online role model, but it is the job of the parent to monitor who they watch, how often they watch, and how the content has affected their behaviour.
How do you guard your kid against the influence of digital influencers?
- Help your child to develop a critical eye to the content their favorite social media influencers are uploading.
- Encourage them to use child-friendly apps.
- Look out if the influencers are age appropriate or not.
- Talk with your children about how they feel when they watch their favorite influencers.
Recognize The Goal of The Platform, Media or Post
The internet provides access to a vast diversity of content, including hundreds of social media sites. Most social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are free to use because it is the advertisers that pay and the social media sites are selling your and your children’s attention. Teaching kids digital safety is needed now more than ever. Social networking sites have the power to directly or indirectly influence your behaviour, including your emotions and political preferences. Because of this, parents must encourage their kids to think critically about the media they consume and the social media sites they visit frequently.
Help your child navigate online
- Have a conversation with your child about how social media sites hijack and sell their personal information to advertisers.
- Explain to your child how social media sites like Facebook use their users’ preferences to get them to spend more and more time on their platforms.
- Make your kid understand that if they are not paying for the product then they are the product. It is their attention social media platforms are selling.
- Explain to your child how social media and messaging app work.
- Assist your kids in understanding the motivations behind people’s posts on these platforms. This will enable your child to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate social media sites.
Investigate to Determine If It Is Real or Fake
The Internet is overflowing with false information, fictional articles, videos, and posts, and the situation is not likely to get any better. As a parent, it is your responsibility that your children develop skills needed to differentiate between fake and real.
Children can develop a balanced perspective of the world around them if they have better access to accurate and factual information. They can communicate more effectively online and will have realistic views of various parts of society.
Developing investigating approach in your kid
- Tell your kid to be cautious about what they read, write or share online
- Rather than telling your kid what they read and share is false, encourage them to check the authenticity of the information before posting or sharing.
- Provide them with information on all fact-checking tools they may use to identify bogus information.
- Teach your child by showing them example of some famous fake news that many people believed.
- Mention how certain platforms will propose content based on what we like and share, which may lead to them just seeing content that is similar.
- Do regular check in to know what types of content your children are exposed to.
Think and Be Mindful Before Posting
The internet and social media change communication by bringing people together, yet this freedom has a cost. Many people find themselves in precarious situations because of compromising posts they made carelessly. If something is posted, published or shared on the internet, it will be remaining there forever. This idea is called ‘digital permanence’.
Teaching your youngster how to post sincerely online
- Make your kids Aware of spamming and teach them to refrain from sending useless messages.
- Tell them not to be rude and be respectful to anyone they engage with
- Mention that venting and renting may feel good but it does not help and never present you in a positive light.
- Teach them to post comment after carefully reading the whole article and post entirely.
- Make them understand that if you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, you don’t say it online.
- We live in a society that makes quick judgments. When our children post, they are putting a digital version of themselves out there. They must be conscious of the fact that their posts will be used to judge them.
Conclusion
Technology has enormous influence on today’s youth and the Internet is giving them an escape from reality. Parents’ concern about safety of their kid is more than ever. But remember, Online Safety begins at home. You can ensure that the internet is an enjoyable and secure environment for your family by taking things one step and one talk at a time. Every kid needs GRIT when they go online. Are they getting it from you? As a parent, you must be teaching your kid digital safety.
