Looking after a teenager in our modern world can be tricky. It seems like a lifetime ago that they were winding you up by getting jammy hands on the keyboard and printing out hundreds of cartoons on your computer, before the days of cheap printer ink. Now they’re a teenager, and your concerns are much bigger. It seems like they’re online all the time. How can you keep them safe?

Screen-time boundaries

You may or may not like it, but advanced technology like phones, laptops and tablets aren’t going away – and your teenager is going to want them. In fact, there are plenty of benefits of giving your teenager a phone, as it means you can contact them easily and know where they are. However, in a world of social media and online trolls, there can be a lot of negativity online that you don’t want your teenager exposed to. You also don’t want them to become so fixated on their screen that they miss what’s going on in front of them.

Therefore, it’s sensible to set up some screen-time boundaries. This might mean giving your teenager certain times that they can be online, or taking their phone away during meals or at bedtime. Or you might want to take it when they have homework, and give it back to them as a reward. Whatever you decide, it’s important to communicate effectively with your teenager and make sure that they understand and respect these boundaries. If you come across overbearing or strict, they’ll probably find ways of getting online access without your consent – and in a less safe way.

Education

Whilst you might set up screen-time boundaries, the real key to your teenager being safe online is educating them on what is and isn’t safe. Puberty is a difficult time, and teenagers are now going through all of this with the ability to instantly share everything they’re thinking, feeling and doing with a massive network of people. Therefore, teaching them to think about what they post is essential, as is reminding them that nothing online is ever fully “deleted”.

Likewise, make sure that they know never to post personal information about themselves, especially their address, phone number or bank details. Whilst you might think this is obvious, if your teenager connects with a stranger online, they might not suspect that they could have an ulterior motive. Whilst it’s your responsibility to make sure your teenager knows of the dangers, schools should also be teaching online safety in the national curriculum.

Parental controls

Alongside boundaries and the proper education, you can also install parental controls on your teenager’s laptop or computer to block any inappropriate content. These work to filter such content and enable a password for certain websites. However, whilst this might put your mind at ease, parental controls don’t completely stop the problem. Your teenager might be tech-savvy and know how to disable parental controls, or they could find danger on a seemingly harmless social media site because they’re talking to a stranger.

Therefore, parental controls should never be the sole answer. They need to be implemented alongside screen-time boundaries and proper education for your teenager to be safe online.