Be careful of Social Media

Most of us are on Social Media. If is Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or any number of them.

Before going any further, remember the promise (and instruction) in God' Word!

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

It is our responsibility as parents to train our children in the way they should go. This mandate carries a promise, when done in line with God's mandate (The word of God - The Bible). When done in a Godly manner the promise is that they will not depart from it; even when the grow old! Yes, they might at times go astray. but with a Godly foundation or roots there is something build into them that will always bring them back! Why? Well, meditate on the following scripture:

ISAIAH 55:11

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

This clearly tells us that God is faithful to His Word!

Reality check

Social media has its obvious advantages, but it also has its inherent dangers. As a Christian you need to be watchful and prayerful when you are on Social Media. You need to be careful what you do, how you do it and when you do it. You need to be careful what you present there; be it photos, personal information, view points, etc, etc. Not only examine your own motives but also consider that you make it available to people who have their own agendas.

When you post something on social media know that it can be used against you and the ones you love around you. You might us it as a place where you proudly show the accomplishments of your children and/or extended family or show your new baby photos, but be careful to what you expose them and yourself to!

As a golden rule keep certain info about yourself and your family private. As mentioned be careful of posting photos of babies, toddlers and young children. As a parent we are their Godly guardians and custodians – they cannot protect themselves, it is our God-given responsibility! We know that predators are lurking on Social media.

Also be careful of giving your young children free access to social media and allowing then to do unprotected browsing and searching on the internet. As parents, we generally do everything we can to keep our children safe and well, from getting them to ‘slip, slop, slap’ before going out in the sun, to being careful when crossing a road and always wearing a helmet when cycling. But what are you doing to protect them from bullies, predators and inappropriate content online?

10 things every parent can do to keep their kids safe online:

1. Talk openly with your child about their online activity

As soon as your child starts accessing the internet, talk to them about what they are reading, watching and who they are communicating with online – and keep the conversation going as they grow older. Ask your child what sites they visit or apps they use, write a list, and look at them together. Talk to your child about what you think is appropriate, and remind them that this may be different for other parents and their children.

2. 2. Keep screens and devices where you can see them

Always monitor your child’s time online, particularly younger children. Keep the computer in a central spot in the home where it’s easy to keep an eye on what your child is doing and viewing online. For mobile devices, you can set them to forget Wi-Fi pass codes so your children can not go online without you knowing. You can also try to make an agreement that there are no tablets, laptops or gaming in bedrooms.

3. Know your parental controls

Innocent searches online can lead to not-so-innocent results, so it’s wise to know how to use the parental controls/search restrictions offered by web browsers, internet service provider and devices. For example, the SafeSearch Filters feature on Google will block sites with explicit sexual material. To turn it on, go to Settings/SafeSearch Filters. Although not 100 per cent accurate, parental controls can help prevent your child from seeing and accessing most violent or sexual material. See

4. Know who your children’s online friends are

As adults, we know that some people online aren’t who they say they are, but children and young people can be alarming naïve about who they are chatting with if they are not taught to be cyber wise from an early age.

5. Be ‘share aware’ to protect your privacy

If your child is a regular user of social networks, they must be aware of the risk of personal information or images being made public once they post it. While they won’t fully understand the consequences of revealing personal information online, you should teach them to be cautious and thoughtful about what they post and share. Encourage your children to ask themselves before posting anything if the information (i.e. name, phone number, home address, email, name of school) or photo is something they would give a stranger. If the answer is no, don’t post it.

6. Keep control of your family’s digital footprint

Every picture and personal detail that is posted and shared on social media and the internet contributes to someone’s digital footprint. The big risk with this is that once information is shared publicly, it can be used in ways you may not expect and cannot control. You should also assume that anything that is put online is permanent (it can sometimes be deleted but not always before others have seen it and saved it). For this reason, children and young people need to be smart about protecting their images and information. The same goes for parents who regularly post pictures of their children’s online.

7. Teach your children to keep their location private

Most apps, networks and devices have geo-tagging features which make your whereabouts public and can lead someone directly to you. These features should be turned off for obvious privacy and safety reasons

8. Keep track of online time

Get your children to agree on a period of time, say 30 minutes per session, and set a timer to go off – don’t forget to make this a non-negotiable finish time.

9. Be #SocialNetworkSavvy

Educate yourself on ways to be safe on social networks so that you can give the best advice to your children. Sign up to the social networks and apps your children are using and find out how to use the privacy settings and reporting mechanisms. Talk about how they can stay safe on social networks, including talking to a trusted person when they are worried, and being aware of what constitutes online bullying – both as a perpetrator and a victim.

10. 10. Lead by example

Lead by example and always model the kind of Godly online behaviour you would like your children to use. If they see you being cautious and respectable when you are online, they are more likely to follow in your footsteps. And, yes, this includes limiting your own screen time.

Conclusion

Be watchful and prayerful when on Social media and train your children in a Godly manner regarding the internet!