The ways in which we go about our daily lives have also changed to accommodate digitalization. Today, we use bank applications to pay our bills, shop for our needs online, and work from home. We must adjust to these digital possibilities and technological tools.
As a result of this adaptation, conventional beliefs change. Nowadays, parenting is honored alongside digitalization. because young people use technology to consume digital material. In this case, parents should be able to control how their child uses digital tools and content.
What is digital parenting?
What does it mean to be a digital parent, then? There are various definitions for this idea. This idea, according to Rode, relates to children’s online safety and parents’ duties to keep their kids safe. According to Huang’s study on digital parenting, it is defined as guaranteeing children’s safety in the digital world, keeping an eye on how they use social media, and building relationships.
The idea of “digital parenting” encompasses being informed on the benefits and drawbacks of digital technology for kids, being alert to how kids are misusing them, keeping kids under control online, and setting a good example.
Guide your child
Children can’t decide for themselves if or how they want to use digital platforms or other tech tools. The environment needs to provide support for kids in this area. The parents have a duty of assistance.
Parents need to know about technological changes and how to use digital technology so they can help their kids on this path. Additionally, parents: It is essential that kids understand how to interact with digital settings and how to deal with any issues they might run into there.
Digital native vs. digital immigrate
Digital advancements are adopted by children more quickly than by their parents. The term “digital immigrants” refers to those who were born before the latter quarter of the 20th century, whereas “digital natives” refers to people who were born after. Studies have shown that children are better protected from the risks of their digital environments when their parents are younger. The degree of computer literacy declines as parents age.
The results of a study done in 2020 show that the way parents use digital and technology tools sets both good and bad examples for their children. According to Lim and You’s research, parents’ neglectful actions lead to a rise in children’s smartphone addiction.
The Internet and digital media are not entirely dangerous. There is also content that your child can safely access.
References:
- Lim & You, Effect of Parental Negligence on Mobile Phone Dependency Among Vulnerable Social Groups: Mediating Effect of Peer Attachment. Psychological reports, 2019.
- Manap, Abdullah, and Emine Durmuş, Examination of Digital Parenting Awareness in Terms of Various Variables, Family Roles and Internet Addiction in Children, 2021.
