A majority of kids today spend a considerable amount of time on social media. While you can keep discussing the pros and cons of these platforms, it cannot be avoided. When your child starts using online sites, monitor his/her social media presence, as this will help safeguard your child both physically and mentally.

What encompasses social media?
Social media includes all public communication platforms where you can share information and reach out to millions at a time. A few common platforms our kids are addicted to include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Myspace. A recent survey mentions that kids and teens spend an average of one hour and eleven minutes on varied social media platforms every day. Did you know that about 75% of teens in America have their own cell phones, and hence it is difficult for you to keep track of what they do every minute? However, there are a few ways you can keep track of what your child sees and shares on such public platforms.

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Prevent underage logging in
Most social media platforms have a minimum age limit for signing up. However, most kids lie about their date of birth here. For instance, Facebook does not let anybody less than 13 years of age have a profile. If you find your kids accessing such platforms without satisfying the age limit, talk to them and keep them away until the right time.

Privacy settings
All popular social media pages have their own detailed privacy settings. You can filter people who see and comment on the posts and control those who can communicate with your child. Before you let your kid get his/her own social media account, make appropriate changes in the settings.

Place the devices in common spaces
If your kid has still not got his/her mobile phone, placing the computer/iPad in common rooms will help you have a check.

Try being friends with your children on such platforms
Usually, kids are very reluctant when it comes to accepting friend requests from their parents or letting their parents follow them on social media pages. However, if your child is alright with it, this is the best way to keep track of their online presence.

Filter software
If you do not want your kid to access a particular website/social media page, you can try using parental control and filter options to block these on his/her smart device or computer. While it is not necessary to take such extreme steps at the beginning, this is always something you can rely on when needed.

Have preset rules
Nothing works better than a clear conversation with your children. Have a detailed conversation with them, set few basic rules like the kind of photos they can share, the language they should use and so on. Let them be clear about your expectations and this will make monitoring less embarrassing for them.

Stay updated
Your child might be on a social platform that you never even knew existed! It is important to keep in touch with what is new in the online world to monitor them effectively.
While platforms like Facebook and Instagram are great, they can also be places for cyberbullying, threats, malpractice, and aggression. Give your children the freedom they want, but with ground rules. When they understand that you are serious about these rules and are in constant touch with that virtual world of theirs, their responsibility increases and they will post with caution.

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