On Mother's Day, Here's How You Can Teach Your Kids To Be Safe And Careful Online

Everyday, millions of teens get online to post on social media like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and more. It's up to their parents to teach them about the dangers online.

So on Mother's Day today, here's how you can be an Internet superhero for your kids.

1. Set ground rules

Most people don't realise that part of the reason the Internet is such a toxic place is because parents don't educate their kids about how they should comport themselves online. As such, those kids grow up to troll, harass, and abuse their fellow netizens. Report offensive comments on Instagram or inappropriate tweets on Twitter, for instance, and have a zero tolerance policy towards bad online behaviour.

Set ground rules so bad behaviour can result in their Internet access being taken away. Teach them to treat others with respect online, and to demand it in return. Make them understand that they need to do their part to stop online bullying.

2. Security best-practices

Cybersecurity is only as strong as the people making use of it. Teach your kids how to make strong passwords. And we don't mean the old method of a mix of letters and numbers etc. We're talking about a simple (but unintuitive) phrase that's easy to remember but tough to guess. Also, preferably have them get used to things like two-factor authentication. Almost all major online services and websites -- whether it's Google, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter -- support two factor authentication, so turn it on within their respective settings.

3. Don't fall for fake

It's important to teach your kids to spot something fake online among all the real information. Train them not to fall for fake news posts or photoshopped. This can be as simple as teaching them to cross-reference stories and reverse image search.

Also important is teaching them to spot scams and phishing attempts, says Sunita Mohanty, Director, Trust and Safety, Google India. That means giving them a brief on what to look for. This means double-checking for spelling and grammar, cross-checking the email addresses of the listed parties through their websites, and how to scan URL's without clicking on them. Hopefully, that way your kids aren't getting hoodwinked online when you're not online to supervise.

4. Value your privacy

Teach your kids that their privacy is more important that just being able to leave an anonymous comment on a forum. Instill in them a grasp of what malicious parties can do with simple details like their location history, birthday, or public photos. This is especially important for Facebook, if you haven't already realised, but is just as crucial for other platforms like Twitter and Instagram

5. Manage screen time

Researchers agree on one thing, that there's no real hard limit on the amount of screen time for a child. Keeping them away from screen entirely is gimping their ability to absorb technology, but there of course has to be a limit as well. Instead of time per day, try setting limits on how much your kids are staring at their screens at a stretch.

Both latest versions of Android and iOS come with features that tell you how much screen time you spend on a weekly basis, and on what kind of apps. For addictive apps like Instagram, you can review screen time for your child through the Activity dashboard ¨C where every user can review the amount of time he/she spend on the community ¨C in a day or even through the past week along with an analysis of average time spent. Additionally, instead of preventing screen time, try guiding their use of it towards educational topics, or other areas you approve of.

6. Encourage communication

If you think you need to install a monitor software on your kid's computer, that's a decision you're going to have to make yourself. But it's more important to teach your kids that their safety online is more important than avoiding trouble. Make sure they know you're always available to help, and it's up to them to seek out an adult when something happening online has gotten out of hand. After all, you can't fix what you don't know about.