Tips to Create a Safe Online Identity for Your Child
Understanding the potentials of the digital world, it’s not wise to keep your child offline. However, the threats are daunting too. You cannot allow your child to roam freely online and be a victim of digital predators or other potential threats. Instead, you can adopt the play-it-safe policy of creating a safe and concealed identity for your child online.
Let your child explore the potential and benefits of the digital world, but with specific restrictions and safety options. If you do not know how to create a safe online identity for your child, here are a few tips for you to follow.
1. Use a Fictional Name
Using your child’s exact and identifiable name for the social media profile is a big no. It’s not advisable to let your child be identified with the full name. Doing so will make the child trackable on numerous social platforms and other links. Instead, you can go for a mix of the actual and a fictional name for the profile.
Using initials only in combination with some creative words like “Jade02” or “Park201” is an option. Remember, do not include any identifiable information in the name. Even avoid using the birth year of your child.
2. Avoid Using Real Pictures
For a digital identity, a picture is essential. However, uploading your child’s real picture is a red flag. By sharing the picture, you are letting predators rob your child’s identity and use it falsely online. Instead, you have the option to choose random images, aesthetics, cartoon characters, or fictional pictures.
Additionally, you now have the option to use your child’s avatar or animated pictures. You will not be using the exact picture but a version of it that is not as dangerous as a real-time picture.
3. Do Not Create a Timeline
Remember, letting your child have an online presence is good for learning. You can teach kids how to behave online and introduce them to the responsible uses of social media. However, never create a timeline on their account about real-time life events.
Like mentioning their first day at school, other school events, hobbies, new interests, or places they frequently visit. Write a simple yet concealed bio. Without a bio, the profile is incomplete. You have to mention the child along with interests and other things.
However, you cannot mention everything in real. It’s essential to keep things concealed and covered beautifully. You can use phrases and metaphors to mention your child’s interests but not the places or hot spots of activities. Limited information is better until your little one grows up to be an adult and able to handle matters efficiently.
4. Keep the Account & Profile Private
Creating a digital identity and profile for your child can be efficient when you keep it private. At the early stage, your child does not have to interact with strangers online. So, do not let anyone send them friend requests, connections, or follow their digital footprints. Instead, only connect them with selected friends and family.
5. Put Privacy Limits on Posts & Shares
When using a digital profile, your child will upload pictures and share posts that are worth sharing. But, you have to keep control over what they are posting and sharing, and who can see their posts. All these controls are available with almost all social media apps. You just have to make a precise and calculated use of these tools to keep the profile private.
Remember! Monitoring is the Key!
No matter how much you have done with the profile development and privacy settings, the threat is still there. You cannot ignore the fact that the internet is an open space. Your child may step out of the boundaries you have set if you are not guarding them.
The best way to avoid these slip-throughs is monitoring. FamilyTime offers you unlimited tools to control, track, and monitor your child’s digital devices, searches, and even social media. You can look into their chats, activities, and more.
It keeps you well aware of what your child is doing online and on the device. The FamilyTime parental control app offers you 360 digital parenting solutions that make your child’s digital life safer.
Wrap Up!
Introduce your children to the digital world yourself by considering the safety protocols. Educate them about safe digital practices and limitations that are essential for their safety. Follow the tips to create a safer online identity for your child and boost digital safety with FamilyTime.
