Cyber smart?

How cyber smart are you? Last week i attended a social media session for parents run by Digital Smarts. It was good to learn about what is out there and what as parents we can do to try and protect our kids from the nasty side of it. 

When I was growing the internet was not apart of everyone's daily life(ok i am old), today it pervades all aspects of life. Access via mobile phones and wifi networks really changes the dynamics of how and when we interact. 

Whilst I like to think that i am pretty savvy with technology, I also learnt that there is a lot that I don't know. The technology continues to evolve at a rapid rate, today we can tweet and instant message.

A big portion of what was discussed was more relevant for parents with children in primary school and beyond, talking about the social networks that children are using. There were  points that were relevant for me as a parent of a toddler but also as someone who uses social media.

Key takeaways for me

• What is said/printed online stays online. 
• The common courtesies that we expect in face to face real interactions should also exist online.
• Technology is not bad - it's about how it is used. 
• We can take action to protect our children, we can control their use of technology and we can educate our children.

Little Man is only 3. And we do use the internet with him on the ipad. He loves watching clips on you tube, usually something transport related. however if he happens to accidentally hit featured or most viewed - I'm shocked to say that even I'd be scared.

I can only imagine what the world will be like when he's in his teens. In the meantime, I'm going to continue to try and be as educated about this cyber age that we live in. I expect it will be even more dynamic than the one that we know today.

For me it was time well spent understanding what I as a parent can do and decide what i should do.

Does your child use the internet or social media? How do you ensure that they are safe?