How To Keep Your Teen And Kids Safe On Instagram?
Teenagers love Instagram for many reasons, one of them being that they can share their pictures and videos on this platform. Apart from that, they can also keep the tap on their favorite celebrities, follow those accounts that match their interest and maintain their profile to create an image in front of their followers and friends.
Protecting your kids on social media platforms can be quite a challenge for many parents. You might not want to limit or be straight to your kids, but on the other hand, you also want to protect them from all the harm. Instagram provides many features and settings that can ensure safety.
Parents can take advantage of these features by making use of the security and privacy setting of the app. Parents should know who their kids are following on Instagram.
Instagram safety tips for kids:
- Make clear rules for your child:
There is no way for you to control what other people are sharing on Instagram. Still, you can discuss what they are allowed to see. as a parent, you should make sure that your child knows why you have made such rules, so they are likely to obey them if they understand the reason behind these guidelines.
Content rule: you should restrict your child from seeing such images and videos that are inappropriate.
· Context rule: you should also tell your child the places and situations they are allowed to use mobile phones.
· Time rule: make sure you set a particular time during which your child can use the devices.
2. Keep your child’s Instagram account private:
If your child’s Instagram handle is not private, then whatever they post is visible to anyone. The straightforward way by which you can limit the account’s exposure to strangers is by changing the settings to a private account. A private account is an account that can only be visible to those who are following it. Listed below are the steps by which you can switch your child’s Instagram account to private:
· Open the app on your smartphone.
· Go to settings.
· Select privacy
· You will see a tab for a private account; all you have to do is toggle the setting to on, and your account will go private.
3. Monitor your child’s usage:
However, your child may not like it; as a parent, in the initial days, you should monitor their Instagram account. It will be good practice if you set up a safety check and discuss anything troublesome with your child. Some tips or techniques for monitoring your child safety:
· Delete any information related to your child on the profile that you wouldn’t want anybody else on the platform to know.
· Please make sure you tell your child why it is essential for them not to make their personal information public.
· Make sure you monitor your child’s feed profile often to make sure that he or she has not shared any personal information accidentally.
4. Block harassing and unknown followers:
If any particular account on Instagram is harassing or annoying your child because you have started feeling extremely annoyed and uncomfortable, all you have to do is block the account. When you block an individual on Instagram, they can no longer find you on this platform, will no longer be part of your Instagram followers or following, and they can no longer see your activities on Instagram. To block an account, you should follow these steps:
· Open the app on your smartphone.
· Find the account that you want to block; for Android users, click on three vertical dots next to their name, and iOS users should click on three horizontal dots.
· Select the block option.
Conclusion:
In comparison to other social media platforms, Instagram is a fun app for your kids to learn a lot from. However, this app is made for people aged 13 and above; letting your young child use this app may expose them to certain videos and photographs that they are not mature enough to understand. There can be certain privacy concerns and content that are highly inappropriate for your child to come across. Even if your child is13 years or above, make sure you monitor his Instagram to enjoy their safety.
