08 May 11 Trust Building Exercises For Parents And Their Connected Children

As technology improves, children are starting to use the Internet and social media sites at a much younger age.  This creates problems as parents have increasingly less time to keep an eye on their kids and make sure that they are surfing safely.  ZoneAlarm’s SocialGuard is a fantastic tool, but nothing is as valuable as communicating with your child in person.  Parents and children need to build trust between each other.  The tips below, used alongside SocialGuard, will ensure that both you and your child feel safe and secure anytime they are online!

Parents should be sure to maintain an open dialogue with their kids, and be able to discuss family beliefs and acceptable sites.  An estimated 70% of parents already discuss social networking security with their children!  It is important to make sure that they know the pitfalls of social media, and how to avoid potentially dangerous situations.  But be careful not to ‘lurk’, especially with older children, as they might see it as a violation of their privacy.  Also, make sure that your child knows how to create a secure password.  It is recommended that passwords have at least 8 characters, and contain a mix of different types of characters.