2020 ne bohot kuch sikhaya, and also revealed in no uncertain terms that the internet is not a place we go to, but a place that is always tangled up with our everyday life. Online and offline are one phygital reality for us all. Which means it’s a normal part of your children’s lives too - for padhai, for play and for curiosity. Parents are nervous about the internet - and that’s understandable. But think of it this way - traffic is scary and unpredictable too - but we teach our kids how to cross the road and stay safe, right? So maybe we can bring the same approach to helping bacchas navigate the internet. So, parent agents, we say ditch the “Nahiiiin, ma da laadla bigad gaya” approach and adopt some basic safety-net fundas.Keep these Fab Four Fundas in mind
- Key Word: Enable - You are teaching them how to use the internet - and being safe while at it. Not treating it like terror island
- Khush raho and safe raho - Don’t enrol in the moral police: it’s not about good/bad, but about safe/unsafe ---just like safe sex, safe touches, and safe digital guftuguoo.
- Protect, don’t prohibit - Watch out for your little one, make sure they have the tools to be able to make up their own minds about things and tackle life their own way, and then let them go. Shielding them from experiences will not help them grow.
- Stand by me not with me - Through thick and through thin, make sure your child knows you are always, 100% with them. But not literally! Remember your child needs privacy and the more you respect it, the stronger their sense of self ability to exercise consent.