As if they were born with these skills, our kids glide effortlessly through the cyberlandscape — texting, tweeting, Instagramming, whipping up PowerPoint presentations — often all at the same time! They might be digital natives, but our kids still have a lot to learn and we are the ones to teach them. If not their parents, who will set our kids on the right path through the virtual world, teaching digital etiquette, helping them protect their online reputations, and ensuring they understand the safety risks and how to avoid them?
But being an educated digital parent can be daunting. How do you use privacy settings? What exactly is Instagram? And what ever happened to MySpace, anyway? It’s new parenting territory, to be sure, and the language, rules, and customs are changing all the time. Here’s the good news: you don’t have to be a tech whiz to become a good digital parent. It just takes a little work, a sense of humor, and a big dose of patience. Here are 6 common digital parenting pitfalls, tips for avoiding them, and resources you can turn to for help.
