By Stephanie Olson

With technology constantly advancing, it is almost impossible for children not to be exposed to it at such a young age, even 93 percent of children ages two to four spend at least some time on a mobile device (Klein, 2022).  It is probably the best option for parents/guardians to start teaching their young ones about internet safety, so that they are at least aware of what they are doing on the device.

Even though children ages two to four seem like they might be too young to understand internet safety, parents can always teach them basic information like screen time and how to turn down the brightness to help their eyes. The longer parents wait to teach their children about internet safety, the more they will have to counter in the future due to outside influences where the child might have learned elsewhere.

Usually “by middle school, children who were given guidance on how to navigate digital spaces early on ‘are knowledgeable of dangers that are out there’” (Klein, 2022). It is easier on parents to teach their children about internet safety early on so that they will be more cautious while using it as they grow up. Children who aren’t taught about the dangers on the internet will usually learn from people around them, which may not always be correct and accurate information.

Making children aware of all of the internet dangers will do more good than harm. They will understand what they need to look out for and they will most likely not get scammed by internet dangers (National cyber security, 2022).

With this information being said, parents and children will both benefit from children being aware of the dangers of the internet at a young age. Children who are aware of these dangers will know what to look out for and how to protect themselves when the time may come, which is a huge benefit to teaching them early!

Discussion Questions:

  1. At what age should children learn about internet safety?
  2. Why do you think some children are not taught about internet dangers as they are growing up?
  3. Does it do more harm or good for children to be made aware of the dangers of the internet and why?
  4. When were you taught about internet safety?
  5. What are some things that would be beneficial for educators or parents to teach children about the internet?
  6. Where do children learn about the internet if not from their parent/guardian?

Resources:

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