technology has altered the way we live work play learn and interact with each other along with the myriad benefits associated with the internet it also comes with its set of risks such as inappropriate content cyberbullying and risk of online predators this has led several parents with schoolgoing kids to experience guilt anxiety or confusion about the role technology is playing in their childrens lives it is like navigating uncharted territories to guide the little ones in the right direction while adults are expected to play an important role in helping children become safe and responsible digital citizens youre not alone if you are feeling lost yourself the safety issues in cyberspace in fact have been increasingly worrying in the past few years predators often pose as a child or teen looking to make friends on apps or websites that children frequent they might prod the child to exchange personal information such as their home address phone number or encourage kids to call them guiding children might feel tricky in such a scenario but parents can be reassured about the safety of their children online by being aware of these important cyber safety tipsdiscovering togethercoviewing cocreatediscovering the internet together taking keen interest in kids activities online favorite sites and apps can all help in building a relationship of trust between parents and kids while also ensuring their safety it encourages social interactions bonding and learning it also helps parents vet the content kids are accessing and at the same time be updated about new technologies by learning from the techsavvy generation setting rulesto encourage a healthy digital environment at home rules should be formulated for children such as not signing up for sites with age restrictions managing screen time at home using gadgets in common areas in the house setting family boundaries on tech free zones such as cars bedrooms and meals exercising parental controls if parents indulge in honest conversations about use of the internet technology and social media they will be able to communicate the benefits of parental controls and privacy settings with their kids it helps to explain that they want their children to be able to explore and learn online but that there must be balance and boundaries however it is also imperative for adults to know where to draw the line and not end up spying on their kids such behaviour can damage relationships in the long run and create an environment of distrust identifying inapt contentas with any other potentially risky activity parents are in the best position to help their kids learn and grow it might be a wise idea to set gadget safety rules yet it is practically impossible to protect kids from watching inappropriate content despite best efforts the right approach therefore would be to empower kids instead of controlling their online activities parents can do so by helping children in evaluating information and being critically aware of information found online teaching privacymost children use the internet to improve