New technologies and minors
Are you worried about how your child uses their phone? Do you think it's too early for them to have a Facebook account? Do you feel they know more about technology than you do, and are you powerless because their friends have phones and they constantly pester you with their desire to be part of this technological world? Are you afraid of what kind of websites they might visit or if someone might take advantage of them?
We give you advice on how to promote responsible use of new technologies by minors, and how to help your child by giving them the keys to responsible use without invading their sense of security.
Today's children and young people, the so-called "digital natives," make constant use of the internet and benefit from its countless advantages. Information at their fingertips, the ability to communicate with friends, videos, games... Education on security, privacy, and the protection of human rights, among other things, must begin in childhood, since children access the digital world, social networks, mobile phones, mobile applications, and so on, from a very young age.
We start from the premise that the use and mastery of new technologies and minors in educational support in the rooms and consultation at home is necessary, instructive, formative and in accordance with the social development in which we are involved for the proper mastery of these skills, for the productivity of studies and work in the future.
However, some specialists attribute the incorrect, excessive, and dangerous use of the internet, tablets, mobile phones, etc., to the early use of new technologies by children of this generation, without educational support for learning and using information security or data effectively, in addition to having a lack of understanding of privacy.
The Guardia Civil's Cybercrime Unit recommends that education in new technologies begin just like any other daily activity. Furthermore, they emphasize that it should be an integral part of daily life, not something separate and specialized. Moreover, parents and educators must have sufficient knowledge of ICT, "not only to educate minors, but also as part of the 'moral authority' that educators must possess to influence children and ensure they internalize their teachings as the appropriate way to behave." This education must also be comprehensive, framed within the context of all other dangers and threats in daily life. "It is not helpful to demonize new technologies; we must simply warn of the dangers and consequences of inappropriate behavior." It is very important that “parents and/or guardians know their children's online friendships, the applications they use, and their interests, sharing their online activity with them and, as if that weren't enough, educating them about the risks they will encounter in real life, keeping them grounded, and also ensuring that minors understand that what is wrong in the physical world is also wrong online.“ Furthermore, it is crucial to ”talk to minors about the risks involved, for example, with instant messaging, chat rooms, etc., where they can be misled by supposed friends who are not like them, paying particular attention to sexual content.”.
In addition, and as if that weren't enough, it's essential to "educate them about the consequences of breaking the rules" so they don't see the internet as a place where their actions have no repercussions. Particular attention should be paid to the games, photos, and videos that children often view, share, or copy, as these can be detrimental to their education and development. They need to understand that "not everything is entertaining, and some are dangerous, violent, and can be harmful." They also need to understand why "they shouldn't be persuaded by the supposed advantages of buying illegal copies of games, software, movies, and music," and be shown the dangers involved. That's why... Explore Nature We propose completely different activities to help the little ones disconnect from new technologies and come into direct contact with the knowledge of nature, traditional trades and much more.
In addition to this, it is interesting to exchange knowledge with children about new computer developments and to encourage teenagers who show a high interest in computing to share that knowledge with parents, siblings, relatives and friends.
When deciding whether or not to buy a mobile phone for a child, the educational criterion cannot be simply that their classmates have one, because that decision will not be made by the family in a reasoned and motivated way.
The initiation, access, monitoring, support, and guidance that the family must provide to the child in the use of new technologies, and especially in the use of mobile devices and safe internet browsing, involves having very clear, agreed-upon criteria within the family and explained and reasoned with the children that will aim to protect the child, instruct them, and make them responsible for the consequences of their use.
The child's age and psychological development play an essential role in guiding certain decisions made by parents regarding the initiation and access to new technologies, especially concerning the content the child will be handling.
When asked, "When is it appropriate to start introducing children to new technologies?", the answer is: whenever the content they work with and use is appropriate, fits their interests and motivations, and promotes their psychological development and maturity.
